


Resurgence

by TaigaKunaix



Category: Mortal Kombat (Video Games), Mortal Kombat - All Media Types
Genre: Adventure, Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Other, Supernatural Elements, Suspense
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-02
Updated: 2017-04-17
Packaged: 2018-07-19 17:16:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 29,277
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7370566
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TaigaKunaix/pseuds/TaigaKunaix
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A few months after Shinnok's death, a certain construct visits the old Fortress, after repeatedly going back. It was empty, but he was drawn to it, attached to the Fortress as it was once Shao Kahn's. But on one particular day, he went too far in, and came across someone who will wreak more havoc than the fallen Elder God himself. [I suck at summaries, aight; Read on to find out what happens next!]</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Before this story gets on…
> 
> For the time being after Shinnok's demise, Outworld is still in the midst of a civil war. Mileena's death, and Kotal's ruling, did little to quell down the rising anger of the citizens. Earthrealm and Outworld are still rivals after the war; and Kotal Kahn doesn't plan on getting into another war when his empire is at the turning point of dwindling. But while he faces a continuous conflict with the people of Outworld and tensions raised in Earthrealm, the enforcers find themselves entering a new war.
> 
> This takes place in the 2nd timeline of the Mortal Kombat series, post-MKX. Ermac wanders the depths of Shao Kahn's former fortress, and is left wounded, physically and spiritually, by Shang Tsung.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the same fanfic found on FF.net. I moved the fanfic to this platform as well, but I will update on both sites.

_He was dead._

_When that cold touch ran against his chest, against the nailed talisman, he nearly could've sworn he was floating when he didn't want to. He could touch his ribs, and feel them being pulled out from him, as his own mind turned against him at that very moment. He could hear the screams of the deceased as they were wretched from his own body. He could see the pain in their intangible faces, the caged spirits left him in pure distress. He could taste his consciousness leaving him, the very tethers of death wrapping around him. And yet it felt… unreal. It was painful, more painful than the strike of Shao Kahn and the bite of his souls' words, yet it felt misplaced. Like he wasn't there anymore. Like he was seeing and knowing, but not feeling the pain._

_And that's when he thought he was gone._

_That's when he thought he would finally face his hidden fear. He would be killed, no longer alive, no longer existing, and lost in the matrix of life and death itself. The fear of what would happen in the afterlife had him grounded so much that even with his already horridly dissociated body and mind, he still continued to live for two decades. And those two decades weren't enough._

_It never was enough. No time was ever enough to completely wither and tear him down until he begged for death at his knees. Nothing could possibly deter him from sustain Outworld, his only domain forever, and from keeping himself alive for that sole purpose. Yet here he was, seeing his death, seeing the soul's lament as they are taken from him, and not feeling a thing._

_And when he fell to the ground, he didn't feel the hard marble floor against his back. He didn't feel anything. He didn't feel the pain in his head when it hit the floor, he didn't see the world around him, he felt as though his body was gone, completely gone. He felt nothing._

_Empty. And that was the scariest thing he has ever experienced in his life._

_He was dead. He wasn't him anymore, he was now vapid. The last refuge of his short life has been taken from him on the spot._

_But when he felt the twitch of his fingers, the tinge of a curl on his toes, and a slight breeze above his nose…_

_He knew he wasn't killed._


	2. Chapter 2

Ermac's green eyes fluttered open. He blinked, then tried to look around, only to feel a weird pulse going through his body. He groaned, and put his hand on his head. His body ached, as though it had been stretched and contracted over and over again. Every breath he took felt like it was going to break his ribcage. His eyes hurt, and his mind was slowly starting to whirl once again. It took a moment for him to register the scene before him. The corridor was empty, and the floor beneath him was cold. There was no blood around the floor. He sat up slowly, because any fast motion would probably upset his head. In a long, aching process, he stood up from the floor. He took one step, and immediately regretted having feet, so he tried to float.

He fell forwards, clutching and shaking his head. Ermac barely made it three meters ahead of him. In frustration, he slammed his fist against the floor, the remaining souls within him lamenting his abate. With another shaky breath, and a shaky knee, he stood up once more, and decided to just walk instead. He needed to go back, _now_...

But what _would_ he tell him? What would he say that wouldn't possibly avert Kotal to him? Shang Tsung was alive because he walked through Shao Kahn's fortress and was attacked by him. This information _alone_ could be enough to set off Kotal, and he's already seen enough of that. Would he simply just say that he was attacked and lost a fight? That already sounded farfetched. The souls angrily stirred again.

Not using _that_ reason.

What would Kotal do if he was told about what really happened? Ermac slowed his pace, thinking with his already scrambled mind. The first situation was him being fastened down like a porcelain doll, unable to fight for the fear that he'd harm the environment rather than himself. Ermac didn't _want_ to sit amongst the chaos, he wasn't wired like that, he knew. But that would be highly unlikely, seeing that Kotal would have to need another general of his caliber to lead their troops. Ermac wasn't cocky, but Kotal was picky, finding anyone to replace Ermac proved to be difficult.

Or everything would be somewhat normal; Kotal would simply allow him to heal, _if we can_ , and they'd fight Shang Tsung like they did Earthrealm. Ermac could somewhat see that happening. He looked down; his shaky gloves were worn, his leather trench coat was ripped from his chest, not enough to expose it, and his legs were still a bit wobbly. Like hell, Kotal would disregard Ermac when he looked like _this_.

Then he realized that in his disgruntled state, Shang Tsung may have taken something important from him. He had never suffered so much from being drained like that, even when the Red Dragons seized him. If Kotal knew of Shang Tsung being alive again, he might turn his attention to the construct himself, and try to get rid of him before assessing Shang Tsung. Kotal will see him as a threat, and the sorcerer might see him as a power source, and a direct target for his onslaught, so if the Kahn knows that Shang Tsung is alive, Ermac would be lucky to be walking freely around the Palace for more than two hours tops.

He didn't realize he was now in a forest, actually spending too much time to think about this. He slowed; if he didn't tell the Kahn, he could risk putting the realm in danger, but if he _did_ tell him, he would essentially be turning himself in for a sentence. That would still damage Outworld, by how much more, he didn't know. And if he were to be secluded from the legion, he would have to watch Outworld possibly crumble and fall simply because he was being kept as some _thing_ akin to a trophy.

Either way, Outworld was going to face damages _regardless_ of what happens.

He didn't want to be a spectator of a war, and he definitely didn't want to be _killed_. But he didn't want to put himself in danger, and not be able to justify himself, simply because Kotal won't allow him to, or worse, he himself, won't be able to. He didn't feel that same...reticence, if he can call it that, that Shao Kahn's soul granted him, and he knew that Shao Kahn was no longer within him. He would be an adversary to the realm and himself. Another long pulse ran through his body, up his spine, and to his cranium. Ermac put a hand against his forehead, and sorely walked forward; he made his decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Annnnd Chapter 2 is done! XD I planned on releasing both chapters on the same day, but school got in the way of my progress, and I had tweak several things here and there. What would Ermac do? What should he do? Would he tell Kotal of Shang Tsung's revival, or should he keep it to himself, to save his existence? What would the Emperor think when he sees Ermac return? What will happen to Ermac, now that Shao Kahn's soul isn't governing his mindset and wellbeing?


	3. Chapter 3

The construct kept a slow and steady pace for a _really_ long time. He was trudging through the dirt of a forest, barely able to keep himself from banging his head against a nearby tree. He was far from the fortress now, and far from going back there again. The souls within him stirred, and without a doubt their verbal onset started again.

_**You fool, why would you ever go back THERE again?!** _

_**You see what happened? You're moored enough to blindly follow voices in Shao Kahn's labyrinth?!** _

_**It's a good thing Shang Tsung took them out. Let us free, cretin!** _

_**Are you crazy? It's even worse in the sorcerer's hands.** _

_**It couldn't possibly be; we've been hushed enough for two decades. In this fortified prison.** _

_**Forget that...** _

_**Let us go. NOW!** _

It was _irritating_. Ermac looked down at the floor, as he could barely walk _straight_ in this condition.

_SILENCE, ALL OF YOU!_

_**We've been silent long enough!** _

He just frowned, already too mentally exhausted. He wasn't going to return anytime soon if this kept going on.

_**Run, then! Run back to your beloved Emperor!** _

_**Go back to the Kahn, like you always would.** _

_**Like he'd do anything for the likes of you…** _

_**So unreliable-** _

_**SILENCE!** _

He lost it. He slammed his head straight into a tree, and then kneeled down on the ground, his gloved hands grabbing at the dirt below him. A barely audible growl came from his dry lips. The souls did quiet down, but not the pain that wrecked his forehead. He has to get up and go on… Ermac stood up shakily again, and continued his trek.

Maybe several hours, or a couple of days have past, until he can finally see the familiar sandy surface. A deep breath came from him, and his dizzy eyes blinked. Ten steps.

The sand became more apparent.

Twenty steps.

He was clear of the forest.

Forty steps.

The manor was in view.

•••••••••••••••••••

"Will Mac Mac come back soon?"

"I'm sure he would…" Erron looked down at his gun. He didn't think Ermac had left some time ago until about last week. None of the guards have caught sight of him since Kotal sent a few out on the lookout for him.

Speaking of which, those men didn't return either. That made Erron's brows furrow. But then again, Ermac may have been far away to begin with. With Earthrealm's adversity towards the realm, and Shinnok's death, along with them having to rebuild, he knew the Kahn would be more than stressed if Ermac returned nonchalantly.

"None of the sspies have sseen him in a month." Reptile stood from leaning against the door, "But I'm not going to asssume he'ss dead." The Zaterran sat on the wooden chair across from Erron, and crossed his fingers, propping his elbows on his knees. Erron looked back down at his guns. "He'll be back."

•••••••••••••••••••

Night fell, and no one was in the halls right now. Ermac inwardly exhaled, he wasn't even close, he had if he estimated, about two flights of stairs, and another hall to walk down from. With careful steps, he made his way down the seemingly endless hall. Not because he wanted to sneak in, particularly... Well, _maybe_. He didn't want to see anyone, especially the Emperor himself.

He wouldn't be surprised if Kotal knew he came back the next day. Ermac would deal with him later. If anything, he hoped Kotal would dismiss it and call it a day.

_**Of course he would.** _

_**You're just a mindless drone. He wouldn't care to look at you.** _

_**You're going to die anyway.** _

The urge to smash his head against the wall repeatedly never been so intense.

Ermac made it to his room several minutes than he normally would. He opened his red door, unintentionally closing it harshly. He slid down against the burgundy wood, exhaling audibly. He walked over to the center of the room, nearly falling against the many pillows on the carpet floor. He held his head again, that familiar pulsating going through his body, he wanted to scream _so bad_. He gripped at the soft pillow that did little to avail his aching head. He was confused, and he hated the confusion. He let out a tiny exhale; the pulsing soon dimmed down to nothing more than a dull ache.

Not like he _hasn't_ been aching ever since.

It didn't exactly hurt, but it felt _unbalanced_ , this disjointedness made the souls confused and unrest, leaving him feel horrid. It felt like his body was teetering and his mind was wobbling. He didn't feel that same controlling, all too demeaning force that quelled his conflicts almost _too_ well. The same force that dispatched any semblance of connection with him and the body he was given.

Ermac opened his eyes, a dire realization came to him. The slight fear that he would never _ever_ admit to himself began to flourish;

He longer _had_ that centralized soul within him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 3 is done!
> 
> Ermac has finally made it to Kotal's Palace all alone, and is trying to find solace in his room. But now he faces another dilemma; he can't control himself completely anymore.
> 
> Shao Kahn's soul serves as the dominating force within the many varying souls of Ermac's being. Ermac needs that dominating force within him, too many minds acting on their own would disperse him completely. The talisman keeps the souls in him and his gem amplifies his spiritual powers, but at the expense of his physical well being. He has no superior soul in him.
> 
> Why this is a bad thing? Shao Kahn's iron fist tyranny went on in Ermac's body for years, but the construct is still existing. In all that time, Ermac has been dissociated from his body, so he doesn't pay heed to the physical desecration he's suffering from. Despite his physical decrement, Shao Kahn kept him alive. Now that Shao Kahn's soul is in Shang Tsung's hands, what do you think would happen to Ermac in the long run? Chapter 4 will be coming soon, catch y'all in the next one!
> 
> One more note: The bolded italics are the souls' dialogue. Each one isn't exactly subjective, as there are many spirits in the conglomerate. Since there are a lot less than what he had beforehand, and due to the predicament with Shao Kahn's soul, he always hears what they have to say regardless of whether he wants to or not.


	4. Chapter 4

Ermac spent the entire night...doing nothing. He wasn't really able to just grab a book and read because the souls would yell and scream again, and he wasn't able to look out a window because he had none in his room, and there wasn't a window close to his room in the first place. He only kept staring at the ceiling, and smacking his head every once in awhile, and then self-berating for injuring himself over and over again. Why he continues to do that and still hate it, he didn't really know. And he found that he couldn't help it.

_Of course._

In the morning, after that really treacherous long night, Ermac sat up from the many pillows in the center of his room. He looked around the room, from the scented candles around the room, to the neatly stacked books on the carpet floor, to the glass bottles on top a small table. He stood up slowly, as to not disturb his grating head, on shaky legs. Two slow knocks came from his door, and he slowly turned towards it.

"...Ermac?"

He exhaled; it was only Reptile. The construct frowned, how did he know that he was here? Did Kotal know too?

"Ermac, you're in there, I know that. Can you… open the door, perhapss?"

He blinked and realized he wasn't right in front of the door. Shaking his head weakly, he managed a few steps, and then groaned at the pulsing that went through his head and body. Opening his tired eyes again, he continued on gradually until he reached the door. He exhaled, and turned the knob, only allowing Reptile to see his right eye.

" _What_?"

Both of them were shocked at the sound that came from Ermac's throat. His voice sounded like sandpaper rubbing against wood. Luckily for him, his face was hidden behind the door, so Reptile couldn't see how shocked, and appalled he was.

Reptile let out a sigh of relief. "So I wassn't sseeing thingsss...you're here."

So Reptile saw him walking through the halls at night, then. "Yes. We are."

The Zaterran blinked. "Well… Kotal doessn't know that you're here right now, and I think it'sss besst for you to go and-" Ermac couldn't listen after he said that Kotal didn't know he returned last night. He closed his eyes, and tried not show that the horrid pulsing was going through his body again. His head felt like it was being squeezed, and he put his hands on it to make sure his imagination was _indeed_ what it was supposed to be; imaginary.

"Ermac, are you...okay?" Reptile stopped speaking for a while, and had to watch as Ermac closed his eyes, and kept shaking his head. "What happened?"

Ermac's eyes snapped open. He purposely ignored Reptile's question. "We will go see Kotal, and tell him that we are back." He left no room for Reptile's questions.

The Zaterran blinked, slowly nodded, and walked backwards from the construct's door, to which was closed to Reptile. Ermac's hand was still on the knob, but he slid against his door, and let out a deep breath. The pulsing was slowly dimming down, and Ermac got himself up again.

He approached the Kahn's large room. The guards looked at him in surprise, but he pretty much walked right past them. Opening the doors, he stepped in, and closed them, looking at the Emperor. Kotal sat on his bronze throne, head propped against his fist. He leaned back looking at his main enforcer.

"Ermac…" Kotal raised his eyebrows. Ermac simply took several steps, until he was within the long azure carpet, about two dozen steps from the emperor. The Kahn spoke once more. "Where were you?"

"Out." That even _sounded_ unlike him. Ermac tried to make it look like it was no big deal, however.

"Out _where_?" Kotal inquired, raising one eyebrow now.

"We were in the Living Forest." _**Lies.**_ "We simply wanted some time in solitude."

"Some time?"

"Yes."

"Like, nearly two months time?"

Ermac tried not to show his tidbit of surprise. Two months? He's been out for _two_ months? Of course, he was in an old corridor when such happened, but he didn't think a day passed by when he was laid on that cold hard ground."We were wandering, and exploring the realm, and needed the time to be out, Emperor." He lowered his head, addressing his title. A pause.

"Who attacked you?"

 _ **Well…**_ "A few enemies caught us off guard while we were returning. We dispatched them easily." Ermac left no room for questions.

Kotal slowly nodded, his most trusted advisor just wanted some solitude. Technically, he's had more than enough within his own room, being a bit far away from everyone else's. But he nodded regardless, the construct wasn't very extroverted to say the least, if that. "Very well then..." He waved his hand. "You may go now."

Ermac blinked, turned and walked pretty quickly out of the large room. He opened and closed the doors, and walked out and into the large halls. A light sigh escaped his small lips.

_**Why can't you just tell him the truth?** _

_**It wouldn't kill you to do so…** _

The utter mockery in that voice made Ermac clenched his hands into fists. _You all are already dead._

 _ **But you aren't…**_ He squinted.

_**Spare us and everyone else a favor, and take us to the Styx.** _

_**Your life is forfeit. It will always be forfeit.** _

These souls were much more scornful than he remembered. Yes, he has been berated by them beforehand, but it wasn't _this_ bad. His eye twitched. Deep down, it was starting to become true. And he _knew_ that, he knew that at this point, he was going nowhere. _We never were meant to anyway_ -

Ermac shook his head violently. The construct went straight to his red door, closing it, and unnecessarily locking the door.

If only he could _still_ do that with these voices...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Looks like his encounter went smoother than usual... He wouldn't be in much a problem with anyone now that he has finally met up with Kotal. But how would this whole thing turn out, of course Ermac still wanted to be alone, because his mind is still a muddled mess. And even though he's standing in front of Kotal, would it be long before he's completely consumed by this new found consciousness of his?
> 
> Or would he not?
> 
> Kotal doesn't think Ermac has done anything out of the ordinary, but how long will it be before Ermac is no longer able to hold his reigns back? Where is Shang Tsung in all this time?
> 
> Chapter 5 may be coming out soon...like in a couple weeks xD. Leave some review telling me what you all think about the story so far! Until then, P✌ace :]


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's good, you guys? So with all my studies out of the way for a while, this chapter would be coming up much faster which...honestly I did not expect xD.
> 
> Now that we know Ermac has kept Shang's resurrection a secret, we will see what has become of the sorcerer, and we will also find out what happened to the guards that were sent to retrieve Ermac after his two month disappearance.
> 
> I also do want to say that this fanfic has several OCs to come across. I gave the guards names to differentiate between them, instead of leaving them anonymous.
> 
> Aight, Ima end my commentary off over here, hope you guys are having a good day today, and tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow, and the day af-[repeat this until the end of time plz] xP.

Any part of the woods within Outworld weren't the easiest places to navigate. The grass was either eerily soft or painfully sharp. As well as the unsettling fog within the thick atmosphere. If anyone unfamiliar dared to enter the woods itself, they would most likely get lost and die, unless you knew the premise inside and out. It was already nighttime, and the moonlight made the woods more ominous than it usually is. Two soldiers were sitting on the trunks of trees, their search party remained unsuccessful.

"Did you find him, Xian?"

"Nope."

Xian surveyed the area _long_ enough to know that who they were looking for wasn't there. He and another soldier appeared from the shadows, stepping through mud and gravel.

"Maybe he's not here."

"If he's not here, then where else could he be? We've pretty much checked every reasonable place in this realm."

"We couldn't find him here either."

"Then, _where else could he be_?!"

"Keep it calm, Tei'ka!"

Tei'ka flailed his arms. "Listen Co'uga, we've been out here for the gods know how long, okay?" He leaned forward, and gestured behind him. "Maybe...maybe he's back there with everyone else. We might as well just return, now."

His brother tilted his head, and narrowed his eyes. "You can't prove that."

"Watch him be there, I'm telling you!"

"Both of you, calm down." Kein, the leader by popular choice, stood between the two arguing men. "Cou'ga, I think it's best we just return. He's the main enforcer of the Kahn," he shifted his sling of arrows to his back, "he knows where the Palace is anyway."

Cou'ga's shoulders dropped, "I know that, but what if-"

Kein put a hand on Cou'ga's shoulder. "I know you don't want to fail. But chances are that he is already there _way_ before us. Let's just quit it and leave…" Kein's voice trailed, because he noticed that out of four, only the three of them stood together. He frowned, turning to Tei'ka, "Where'd he go?"

"He just kinda," Tei'ka articulated with his arms to the right, "started walking that way."

Cou'ga jumped in. "And you didn't stop him?"

"I caught glimpse of him as soon as he left."

The trio turned to the foggy area. They approached it until they were a few feet, and then they heard loud, frantic footsteps.

"Guys! Guys! GUYS-"

Xian ran straight out of the fog, and fell right in front of Kein. His armor was scratched, and the soles of his leather boots were barely hanging on his heels. He was panting heavily, and feeling around his chest in near hysteria. The three helped him up and dusted him off. Xian spoke frantically, there was no room for the team to ask questions. " _Wegottagetoutofhere_."

Kein held Xian by the shoulders, "Wha-"

Now his face was one of pure hysteria. "WE HAVE TO GO! HURRY, LET GO OF ME, _NOW_!"

The three exchanged confused glances and started running in the opposite direction. The trees before them came tumbling down, blocking their way out. Muttering a curse under his breath, Kein turned to the rest, "FOLLOW ME!" He ran forward and out through a thicker area away from the opening.

All of them were utterly confused. The branches moved in their faces to slow them down and some of the bigger trees fell, making them change routes from the detour. One of the branches suddenly came whipping out like a sling, hitting Kein in the chest and knocking him back a few feet. Tei'ka, Cou'ga, and Xian went straight to his aid. They all froze when they heard the faint, almost echoed sound of footsteps. Tei'ka stood, and raised his crossbow, looking all around him. "Show yourself, you coward!" He arched. "We know you're here!"

" _Do you?_ "

All four of them whipped their heads around, trying to find the exact source of the voice. It seemed as though it was surrounding them. Cou'ga, Xian, Tei'ka and Kein stood and stepped back, all ready to face the perpetrator, each facing in one direction. The silhouette of a person slowly appeared in front of Xian, and the three turned around.

What they saw was a long haired man, with a beard and wearing nothing but a simple robe. Cou'ga raised his eyebrows, somewhat offended. "Is this some kind of _joke_?" Tei'ka looked at him, and back at the man. He shot an arrow aiming straight as his head, as well as Kein, who aimed for his chest. Both arrows stopped just at a _hair's length_ before they can touch him.

All of their eyes widened. Tei'ka held his crossbow tighter. _The_ _hell_?

"Allow me to introduce myself." The man stepped forward, raising his hands, making the meek arrows fall to the floor. "I am Shang Tsung." He gestured to himself, "and you all are going to be my first soldiers."

"He has got to be kidding us…" Couga muttered under his breath. " We're soldiers of the Kahn. You think some simple tree cutting and branch catapults could make us surrender?" Shang Tsung's lips slowly curved upwards. A beat.

" _Watch me."_

Xian ran towards him, aiming a punch to his face, but Shang Tsung held his fist in his own hand. Before Xian could react, Shang Tsung placed two fingers against his neck at an angle, and then pulled back, releasing his fist. As he pulled his fingers away, Xian's eyes went from their light brown hue, to a dull color. He looked like he inhaled, as if he was out of breath for a very long time. When Shang released his fist, Xian fell to the floor, lifeless.

Tei'ka's eyes widened. He nearly drew his arrow again, but it would prove to be futile to shoot one arrow. So he drew three at the same time. _He wouldn't be able to dodge this…_ He released, and the arrows didn't touch him. He disappeared.

Tei'ka lowered his bow, his eyes were probably close to saucers now.

"TEI'KA!" Tei'ka can hear Cou'ga's rapid footsteps. He whipped around, and Shang Tsung was _right in front of him_. Cou'ga raised his dagger and went to strike him, but Shang simply moved to the right, and Cou'ga _nearly_ stabbed Tei'ka in the chest. It barely missed his shoulder, slicing a tiny part of his upper arm.

"God dammit!" Tei'ka held his injured arm, and whipped around amidst the pain, because now Shang Tsung vanished again.  
"He fucking disappeared!"

"And here I am."

Shang stood right next to Kein, who just turned to see him. He landed an elbow on Shang Tsung's chest, who stepped back in recoil of the hit. The sorcerer smirked, then grabbed Kein by the throat, raising him up and placing two fingers like he did with Xian. The leader himself struggled in his grip, screaming in agony at the sorcerer's movements. Couga threw his dagger aiming straight at Shang's head, and Shang moved backward, just for the dagger to strike Kein in the arm, the blade ending in his chest. Cou'ga cried out to their leader, and Tei'ka and he ran toward the sorcerer. They couldn't get close enough, Shang raised his hand, and both soldiers went flying into two trees. He then turned his attention to Kein, with a simply movement of his fingers, he snapped Kein's neck, ripping away his fingers and watching as Kein fell to the floor.

In his daze, Cou'ga blinked and held at his head, rising from the ground. His vision was blurred, as he raised on shaky knees. He looked up to notice Shang Tsung making walking towards him. Despite his aching cranium, he got up and attempted to kick him in the chest, but he was blown back in the abdomen, and was sent to the ground once again. He tried to get back up, but realized he was bound to the floor by an aura. Shang Tsung went straight after Tei'ka, who was still dazed, and grabbed him by the collar of his undershirt. He groaned, opening his eyes, and then frantically tried to escape Shang's grasp. He was raised above the sorcerer's head, now floating in the air with that same aura around him. Tei'ka began to look like his body was being squeezed, and choked; his hands moved frantically and his toes curled under his boots. He gasped for air, his eyes starting to water, and Cou'ga sat there, helpless. He couldn't bear to watch his brother _die_ in front of him, he attempted to close his eyes, only to feel another force keep them open. He tried to move his head, and he found himself completely stuck and immobile in that single spot. He watched as Shang Tsung raised two fingers whilst Tei'ka in the air, and an aura flowed from Tei'ka's limp body, different from the one constricting him. Cou'ga watched with stricken eyes as his brother's eyes slowly went from hazel to a dull hue, and he dropped to the dirt like a ragdoll.

His eyes widened; that was his _soul_.

Shang Tsung turned from the dead man to Cou'ga, a slow smile creeping up his face as he approached the last helpless soldier. His two fingers were raised, and Cou'ga struggled to move, to have control in his own body, but it let to no avail. Shang Tsung pointed his fingers at him, and Cou'ga could slowly feel his life slipping out of his hands. The pain was so intense, he couldn't feel his body anymore, and his eyes were slowly starting to go blank. The sorcerer prolonged the soldier's suffering, his fingers didn't retract as he slowly took in Cou'ga's soul. Cou'ga wasn't in control of his limbs, struggling against Shang Tsung's bound. The wretched hollowness that he felt was horrible, he could feel his throat closing in on itself. His eyes went wide.

He couldn't scream.

With his last inhale, Shang raised his finger away from Cou'ga, and the soldier fell dead to his side. Shang Tsung smirked, and held his hand out in front of him, the spiritual energy swirling rampant on his fingertips. He looked to the dead bodies around him and at his hand, and chuckled. Levitating above the ground, the sorcerer was invigorated by the immense spiritual power within him. A sinister thought popped into his head, and he slowly approached Cou'ga's body.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jfc, that was a long one… although in comparison to the future chapters to be coming along, this probably would be tame.
> 
> Calm down, I didn't spoil anything other than the lengths of the chapters, huehue.
> 
> Shang Tsung has encountered the guards of Kotal, and they were defeated right on the spot. With all of his power at his use, what would Shang Tsung do with it? What was he planning on doing, when he approached Cou'ga's body? Let me know what you guys think will happen to the guards themselves, as well as Shang Tsung's little evil plan! Catch you all on the next one thoooo~ ✌


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next couple of chapters will be in Kotal's Palace. For the most part, we only know that Shang Tsung has killed off the four men who were to find Ermac.
> 
> All flashbacks are in italics, and the bold un-dialogued text are Ermac's souls.

"I've already ssent Koren and the sspies to go look for the others." Reptile kept his head bowed as he spoke with the Kahn, slightly leaned forward nearly about to kneel.

"Have you heard from them since?"

"It's been four dayss." He shook and raised his head, "The otherss may have been ssomewhere far away ssearching for Ermac." It was just about those same two days that he was told about Ermac's return, and he just saw him walking in the halls several hours ago, but Reptile couldn't go up to him to ask him what happened to him.

_He was awoken once more, and shot up in his bed. The moonlight was on his face, and Reptile squinted, blinking several times. His brows wrinkled, what the hell did he dream about? All he saw was fire, buildings burning, and faceless people fighting with each other with a silhouette of a man over all of them. Half asleep, he groaned as he leaned back propped on his arm. The buildings didn't look like anything in Zaterra, they looked too vague and ashed to even be discernable…He shook his head, and laid back down on his bed, closing his eyes to sleep. His opened his mouth, and realized that he was really thirsty. Great._

_He stood up groggily from the bed, and looked to the faucet on the other side of the room. He didn't really want to get anything to drink, because it felt so difficult to even keep his eyes open right now. But he did it anyways._

_Trudging to the faucet, he was just about set to complete his main goal, until he noticed a figure pass by his nearly closed door. Reptile blinked, and leaned back to see if he wasn't actually going crazy. He moved closer to the door, and stood by the wall to see who was out in the halls at this time. He didn't see anyone, so he peeked his head out through the door. There the person was; Ermac was walking down the farther part of the hall, which was actually somewhat surprising to Reptile because usually he'd float around at most times, but now he wasn't. This was actually the first time he's seen him since he left._

_Reptile frowned. Ermac was walking, but he walked like something akin to a zombie; his head was down, his arms hung at his sides, and he was nearly dragging his feet across the floor. What's wrong with him? He raised his brows as Ermac was now leaning against the wall, he just fell against it as though he were wounded, and he slowly dragged himself across the wall, still looking down at the ground. The Zaterran's lips parted but he didn't say anything, as Ermac dragged himself on the wall, turning the corner, and out of Reptile's view._

_The Zaterran never been so confused. Since he was not fully awake, he wondered if he was really going insane or not. His eyes trailed to the floor, and back to the faucet. He slowly walked from the door, as though something were going to barge through it. He got some water in his palm, and drank, and when back to his bed. Then, for some time, his eyes were still open._

And they stayed open the entire night. The dream, Ermac's weird behavior, it was too much for Reptile to handle in the wee hours of the morning. It was concerning, not seeing Ermac awake then, but seeing him like _that_. And it bothered him in such a short period of time.

"You may go."

Reptile double blinked. "H-huh?"

"You may go, Reptile." Kotal repeated. Reptile nodded, and walked out of the Kahn's grand room.

He should go and seek out Ermac, just to see how he was, and to see if he really wasn't imagining that last night. A few turns down halls, and he was in front of Ermac's door. Hesitantly, he knocked once. _Why am I so afraid to look…_ The door opened slowly, and Reptile blinked. It was only gradually opened to a slit, and Ermac's dull green eyes was the only thing Reptile could see. What he could tell though, was that the room was pitch black. He frowned. "Ermac?"

"What do you want?"

Reptile tried not to cringe. Ermac's voice sounded like a harsh whisper, it kind of hurt his ears to even hear it. "Kotal told me what happened." He raised an eyebrow. "… Are you okay?"

" _Yes._ "

His voice was like a thorned whip now. Reptile opened his mouth to say something else, but Ermac cut him off. "We are fine, Reptile." With that, he closed the door, leaving the still confused Zaterran standing outside. Reptile looked down at the floor, and turned to walk away from him. His behavior was weird. Sure, Ermac liked being in his room, but never has he seen him so blatantly shut anyone out before. But then again, the construct was pretty unpredictable, and that alone was enough to make anyone reluctant to question him.

And Reptile knew that Ermac would have to vouch for help at some point, because the soul vessel wasn't going to live long. Maybe everyone else realized that but kept it as an unspoken secret, or maybe they simply dismiss it the way Ermac dismisses it all the time. If he keeps secluding himself away from everyone else, given the freedom to actually speak on his own now, he'll end up dead. And, in all honestly, Reptile really did not want that.

The Zaterran would have to look into this further, whoever did attack him was formidable and may pose a threat to everyone else. He was certain Ermac didn't defeat those people, and it couldn't be the Earthrealmers because they're already a lassiez-faire militia. All of this was sketchy, and he needed to look into it.

"So what you're telling me is," Erron was busy cleaning his revolvers as he spoke with the Zaterran, "that Ermac is lying?"

"Yessss." Reptile stood up and walked towards Erron, who was now putting his pistols down against his table. His room was a brown-burgundy theme, with maroon curtains over the window. His bed had a brown sheet over it, and black pillows.

"But I do not think he'sss doing it in offense. My question iss...who could rough Ermac up like that?" Erron raised an eyebrow, and Reptile continued. "When I ssspoke with him, he didn't sssound the sssame. And he didn't come out of hiss room for daysss. I sssaw him in the middle of the night, and he looked like he wasss ssstruggling to even walk upright."

Erron looked like he was giving it some consideration. He drummed his fingers against the table in thought. Reptile clasped his hands behind his back. Ermac didn't even tell them why he left in the first place, in fact, how could he be beaten and take two months to return to the Kahn? Reptile knew he could fly, and Ermac much preferred flying than walking, so why in the hell did he even-

After a few moments, Erron looked back to him. "I go check on him myself. Ask him a few questions. Maybe he might open up a bit more now." Erron turned to his door, and opened it, looking towards Reptile, and gesturing him out. Reptile blinked, but still decided to leave the room. Erron looked at the Zaterran. "I'll be back."

Erron knocked a few more times on the red door, still a bit aggravated because there was no response. Oh, he knew damn well that Ermac was in there. So he was now knocking much louder against the door.

The door opened slowly, and Erron only saw one narrowed green eye looking at him.

"Erron."

Reptile _was_ right on the voice thing. He sounded different, not all ghoulish like he did before, but his voice was like a hushed whisper.

"Step out of your room. I need to talk to you."

From the way his eye widened, Ermac was pretty offended. "You can talk to us right here."

"I _need_ to talk to you now, Ermac. Step out of the room so that I can actually see you."

Ermac looked down, and closed the door. Several seconds later, the door slowly opened, and Ermac slid out of it, not opening the door completely. Erron took in the sight before him; his leather trench coat-like apparel was disheveled. There were threads hanging from the shoulder sleeves, and his hood too, making him look even more ghastly than usual. Even his wrappings hung from his face, and the talisman around his chest wasn't completely bolted on him anymore. The center stayed, but the rib-like ends were off of him.

" _What is it_ , Erron?" Ermac groaned out, already annoyed with the way Erron just stared at him. _Stop staring at us._

_**Who wouldn't? This body looks and feels horrible!** _

"Umm.." Erron was actually almost at a loss for words. "Look, I just came by to know how you're doing. Reptile told me that you've returned a few days ago."

Erron wasn't one to actively voice out his concern, but with the way he phrased that question it seemed like he was generally concerned for the construct. It's been a few days since he has returned, and he didn't want to see anymore, or rather anyone to see _him_.

"If Kotal sent you in regards to our concern,We are _fine_."

"Really?" Erron was dubious, "I know you are the quiet type, but you and I both know that Kotal wouldn't enjoy the fact you're basically locking yourself in your room."

"We have no errands, Erron-"

" _Along with the fact,"_ the gunslinger continued, "That you left unannounced for two months, and come back saying that you were 'attacked'." He took a step forward. Ermac didn't back up, but his eye twitched. "So what _really_ happened then?"

Ermac blinked, his irate expression stayed on his face. "Just as we said before. We wanted to wander around the realm and were attacked."

Erron blinked at him once, twice, and crossed his arms. "You expect me to believe that?"

Ermac didn't say anything back, instead he just turned and went to his door. Erron grabbed his arm, and Ermac, out of instinct, threw an orb at him, making him lose his grip and fall to the ground.

Instantly regretting the action, Ermac felt another migraine bubble in his head, and a harsh pulse running up his spine. He fell back against the wall and slumped down, trying to catch his irregular breath. Erron looked up and was surprised to see the construct slouched on the ground holding- no, _gripping-_ his head with his hands. The initial thought of right hooking the construct was nearly wiped from his thoughts when he looked at Ermac. Erron got up, and went towards Ermac, who was actually _trembling_. He called his name once but Ermac didn't respond to him. So he knelt and tapped his shoulder. Ermac's head whipped towards Erron, his eyes looking disoriented and somewhat lost, and then quickly got back up to his feet. With an almost feral growl, Ermac looked down at Erron with wider than usual eyes.

" _ **Do. Not. Touch. Us.**_ "

Erron got up to his feet, and literally leaned closer to Ermac. Ermac blinked, and cocked his neck back.

"..." Erron frowned, and backed off, still staring at the construct with bewildered eyes. "This wasn't any random attacker, wasn't it…"

Ermac averted his eyes, his annoyance was offensively obvious.

"Who attacked you?"

The same question that he's already answered, and he _refused_ to tell Erron, who used to work for the same sorcerer that nearly killed him. "We already s-"

"The _truth_ , Ermac."

The construct stayed silent for a moment, looking down at the ground. What would happen if he told Erron? Could he… trust him with that information? Of course, Erron wasn't a tattletale, but at the same time he wouldn't take the news lightly. Maybe… maybe he could just ease it, someway. Like, perhaps try to get him _not_ to tell Kotal… somehow.

"Shang Tsung attacked us." A pause.

"That's ridiculous."

Or he could completely say that the whole ordeal wasn't true, why didn't Ermac even think of that? That should be the _first_ thing to pop into his scattered head.

Now that he said it, Erron doubted him, so what the hell was the point of even telling so? He looked at Erron with the most serious expression he painful face could possibly muster.

Erron took it of course. He blinked. "...You're serious?" He spoke like it was a statment.

"We are. We were… in the Living Forest." Ermac's hands tentatively went behind his back. The words were so hard to get out, even though the event were plated into his memory. "He just caught us there and… took our souls." _**Including Shao Kahn, which is why we are acting so irrational, and turbulent. You can't help yourself.**_

Ermac's eye twitched.

"Then why didn't you _say_ anything this whole time?" Erron was nearly yelling right now. The gunslinger, unknown to most, was petrified of the sorcerer. Not because he did anything to Erron in particular, but what he had to witness was a little too much for even the outlaw to bear. He was granted the gift of slow aging, that was probably the only benefit from working for him in the first place. And even though this was coming out of nowhere, it still evoked fear in the man like no other. Erron didn't have his mask on, so his facial expressions were out in the open, and far too easy to read.

Ermac made a gesture for him to keep his voice down, even though no one was in the halls. Erron narrowed his eyes. "What the fuck do you have up your sleeve?"

"We have nothing." _**We've always had nothing**_. "We didn't say anything because…" Now, why did he even open his mouth even more after that simple statement?

"Because of _what?_ "

The fear and anger in Erron's voice was starting to make Ermac regret his decision, along with the fact that he was being too loud.

" _ShaoKahn'ssoulisnolongerwithinus_." That came out so fast that Erron probably wouldn't have caught what he said coherently.

"...What?"

 _ **Exactly.**_ Ermac sighed. "When Shao Kahn died, his soul was bound to us to keep his magic within us, hence prolonging our life span." He wouldn't even go into detail with the Shadow Priests and the talisman, this was _too_ much information he gave out about himself.

"So you mean to tell me… that he might bring Shao Kahn back-"

"Don't-" Ermac stopped himself before speaking any further. He didn't want to voice his actual fear of the ruler's uprising once more, and he and Shang Tsung working together once again. Did he not have control over his own mouth now?

"Well that's what I am getting from it. This can't go unnoticed by Kotal-"

"NO!" Ermac yelled, well more likely loudly whispered, and grabbed Erron's arm before the man could even make a move to turn around. Erron frowned, and Ermac looked up at him. "This...this information could cost our lives."

Erron's frown deepened, but Ermac continued on, "If we were to tell the Emperor, he may avert his attention to us instead of Shang Tsung, and try to execute us. The possible threat that we may pose towards him would make him target us first."

"And why would he do that?"

That was a question that Ermac, once again, didn't think of. Why would Kotal do that? _He'd be daft to even think we'd leave his side in the first place._

_**Or not.** _

Ermac was confused.

 _ **Your loyalty is questionable at this point, construct.**_ Even the way the spirit spits the last word made Ermac's lip twitch.

"Ermac, hello?" Erron snapped his fingers at him. He watched in awe as Ermac blinked back to reality. Ermac kept his hands on Erron's arm.

"Listen, just… do not tell him. We will deal with it ourselves. We'd rather he'd hear it from us…" his voice trailed off in thought.

"But how are you going to do that?"

Just as he was thinking, because he came here and he can't just simply say that Shang Tsung attacked him while he was gone, which ended up with him unconscious for gods' know how long, he'll have to somehow make it seem like something that happened after he returned. Ermac had the sudden urge to slam his head against a wall; why was it so hard to _think_?

"We will figure it out. If Kotal knows and is distracted he will cost the realm greatly." Ermac finally released Erron's arms, and looked back to his room door. His mouth hurt, and his head was still pulsing softly, but not in a good way at all. Sitting away from everything sounded really nice right now.

"Reptile sent a few spies to go and scout around the area." Erron started to walk away from Ermac, "You better hurry before Kotal finds out himself."

Ermac just nodded, and watched as Erron turned the corner. After at least a minute, Ermac went back into his door, and slumped against the door again. He sighed loudly and his hand slid against his face.

_What did we just get ourselves into?_


	7. Chapter 7

"The only thing we need to do is get them back. That's pretty much it."

"I know but, they can't _possibly_ get lost."

"We're in the woods right now," Koren stopped and gestured around him, "We've been out for about a week now, and we got compasses, so don't worry-." He ear picked attention to the sound of snap coming from their sides. He and seven others were out to get the four guards, who were initially to bring back Ermac. They were nothing more than spies, so they were lightly armored for their trek. Koren looked to the direction; there they were.

Cou'ga, Tei'ka, Kein and Xian emerged from the woods quietly. The slight dishevel of their clothing went unnoticed by the group, and they didn't speak when they made eye conatct. Koren and his group went to greet them, and he patted Kein's shoulder.

"Good to see you guys again," He pulled a supply pack, which had a few bandages and herb to tend to wounds. "It's been a pretty long time, and Ermac has returned. You don't need to go searching for him." He nodded towards Xian. Tei'ka raised his hand, stopping him. Koren looked at him confused. "What?"

They didn't say anything.

They were silent.

Koren raised an eyebrow, because not only had Tei'ka stopped him, but he didn't tell him why. The sound of a knife running through flesh could be heard behind Koren. He turned around, getting away from the former four. Cou'ga pulled his knife out from the soldier's back, and looked at the unarmed group. Without warning, Xian and he charged at them, and Kein loaded his bow, as well as Tei'ka with his crossbow.

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Surrounded by red pillows sat Ermac on the carpet floor. He had been meditating for gods' know how long. His relaxed hands rested against his lap as he cleared his mind.

Well, tried to.

Ever since he became _aware_ of Shao Kahn's soul being absent, Ermac felt like any little thing he did, or wanted to do, would tick him off. The only times his eyes would be open was when he felt like reading, and _he_ couldn't even do that. Even something as simple as walking around the room was a difficult task to complete. And he couldn't just telekinetically get what he needed because his head would feel as though someone hit it with a sledgehammer.

Ermac couldn't help himself anymore. He had no control over what he wanted to do. Nothing could dictate his souls for him, and he felt volatile. As though he would be able to task, but _can't_. And then sometimes he wished he was blessed with the oblivion of sleep. And then sometimes he felt like he wanted, _needed_ to explode, but just wasn't _capable_ of doing so.

His gloved hands tightened. If anything, he should've been at least content without the former Emperor's soul gripping him like a thorned vice. He should've felt much more comfortable with his mind, and the body that he never paid attention to. He would've been much more free to do as he pleased, without his Emperor's soul poisoning his will, if he had one.

But he _can't_.

He was no longer capable of suppressing those turbulent voices. Shao Kahn's soul was his only controlling force for the throng of voices in his head. And even though his body was near decomposing, and he wasn't able to subconsciously acknowledge it, it put the souls to a verbal rest. No longer being controlled by a tangible person, and not a victim of mental absolution, he was much more liberated being the main general of Kotal Kahn than in lieu of Shao Kahn's rule.

But now, he knew his body was horrid, he was able to acknowledge that it was far worse than the bruises and the scars he had two decades ago, but he can't do anything about it, because his souls forfeit him to. He could feel his skin constantly ache from head to toe, and he didn't have the mindset to simply improve it. There was no driving force to push those souls to simply better his life, and Ermac being a soul vessel, made it toilsome for him, because none of those souls were _his_.

He never felt so… helpless in his short life. He was always pulling through from anything. He was always doing, he was always _able_. And now that he can't even face a reflective surface without wanting to throw it across the room, he felt more powerless than he did when Shang Tsung took his souls from him.

His hand went up to his head, and he propped his elbow on his knee. The need to live and the fear of the unknown kept him stuck, only _existing_ , but not living. A troubled sigh escaped his lips, it wouldn't be long before he'd start tearing his own room and clawing at his face and-

_**Go ahead.** _

_**You can't run from yourself, construct.** _

_**Like you even have a sense of self anyway…** _

Ermac's ungloved sore hands pierced at his sore skin, and he instantly regretted not having his gloves on. Why was he always regretting everything nowadays? He regretted being curious, he regretted falling for Shang Tsung, he regretted not telling Kotal about it, he regretted not seeking help in the short amount of time that he could have prior to returning to the Emperor, he regretted headaches, and the visions of wars and lives that he wasn't a part of, he regretted feeling the ache and pain his body held all these years every single second, and he regretted being completely incompetent to improve. He regretted being alive.

No… existing, because he knew that he was never alive.

Yes, he walked and talked. He fought and defended others. He had more than enough spiritual energy to be considered a reckoned force. But he never had his own memories, his own… Experiences. Other than being nailed down by the Shadow Priests, having Shao Kahn bound to him, being beaten down both by his former Emperor, a revived sorcerer, and by his own mind. He never had someone to share his stories with, or someone to look for him when no one else was- even when he wasn't. He's seen, but never felt the warmth of a hug, or the relaxing sound of someone humming to him, or the comfort brought from crying his frustrations out. He couldn't even _cry_. He never touched someone else's cheeks, or sit side by side with someone by a fireplace. He's never had a helping hand. He's never looked at the sun, and smiled before.

He had nothing to live for. He was a construct; existing only for servitude. That was his life, whether he liked it or not.

Ermac took and threw a book across the room, and it hit the wall with a loud thump. He couldn't meditate. His conscience couldn't be put to rumination. He pulled his hands to his knees again, his breath shaky, and covered his face in his arms. He pulled himself close, hugging his legs and resting his worn head against his knees in the dark room. He couldn't even _relax_ anymore.

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Koren's frantic footsteps echoed in the moonlit woods. He turned and kept running haphazardly, twigs and branches hitting his ankles and calves. His head whipped around every several seconds to see if he was still being followed. With longer and heavier pants, Koren's sprinting started to falter and he was running out of breath.

Leaning against a large tree, he panted heavily as his fingers planted against the trunk. His eyes darted to his sides, ears keen, and his hands balled into fists. His fists tightened as he heard the sound of a twig snapping from what he guessed to be a few feet away from him. He heard the sound of heavy breathing, not his own, and frowned.

Emerging from his left were two of his subordinates, one with a compass. Their backs had slash marks, not fatal but they looked painful. They both reached out to grab Koren's shoulders, who jumped so hard at their sudden burst that he fell to the floor. The two helped him up, and one of them spoke frantically.

"Koren, _wegottaleavenow_!"

"Wha-!" It took him a moment to decipher what the man was saying. But he joined the three in their embarkment.

The three went to the right, and continued straight on, having to go haphazardly because of the scattered placement of the trees. They were out of the woods after about half an hour. Koren sighed happily; had these two not been with him, it would've taken a day to escape that _place_. Still mortified, the three ran back to the direction of the Palace.

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A red robed man stood at the patio of his grand temple on an island. He looked to the ground to see a hundred soldiers marching across the rocky surface of the island. Turning to his right, and he watched blacksmiths creating and refurbishing the swords of warriors. To his left, crops were being harvested and horses were being bred and tended to.

"Master."

He turned around. Xian walked towards him, hands on the gem against his belt. "We couldn't kill all of the spies. We've brought back souls of the four that were dispatched."

"And their bodies." Tei'ka, Cou'ga, and Kein came in the room, holding the bodies of dead Kahn soldiers.

"Leave them to me." He sneered, hands on Xian's gem to wrench those souls from him. His hands glowed once more, He closed his eyes as he felt the surge of energy through his body. He opened his eyes again. "You may go now."

He looked to the stone talisman that held the souls in place for his use. With a thought, he tapped at his gem and looked back outside. Soldiers by the dozens looked from their marching, and went to the boats to scout the realm, including the Kahn's Palace. A smile formed on his lips;

Absolution will be  _much_ easier than expected.


	8. Chapter 8

"They haven't returned yet, either?"

"I heard no word from them, Emperor." Kotal sighed, frustrated. Reptile looked back down at the ground, hands against his sides. The sun was out, and the sandy city was thriving once again. So far, it has been nine days since the spies left. FerraTorr, as well as Erron, were out amongst the streets, and Ermac was in his room doing whatever he did. Kotal propped his chin on his fist, leaning on his side.

"It took pretty long for Ermac to come back. Maybe they are all jussst returning asss well." He was close enough to the door to hear a faint, strange sound coming from outside. Reptile frowned, but dismissed it. Kotal inhaled.

"They better be." Kotal took a deep breath. He sensed that he was getting too frustrated. Of course, his guards would come back. They aren't some foreigner of Outworld; they knew the routes to places. So why was he so upset?

Maybe it had to do with the possible threat coming from Earthrealm. The Special Forces were a pretty good militia, and he wasn't going to openly say that his was better. At this point, he didn't want any competition, losing his troops would be the first thing he'd pay attention to. _Perhaps_ , the Earthrealmers were trying to attack them secretly-

 _No,_ something told Kotal that wasn't the case. If they did so, they'd be very foolish. Kotal may be holding them higher in regards than they should be. "Perhaps, they'll come. Perhaps they'll be he-"

The door busted open, and in came three spies, including Koren, out of breath, and trying to speak. As they ran in, one of them tripped and the other two fell, Koren landing on top of the other spy. They all frantically scrambled to their knees, first apologizing incoherently, and then looking like they were trying to explain something all once. Koren and the three gesticulated trying to describe what happened. Reptile raised both of his brows, utterly confused, and Kotal silenced them with a yell.

"Speak. One by one."

Koren took a deep breath, gathering himself together. "We ran into them but-"

"They attacked us!" Another cried out.

"They had much more armor and weaponry than we did."

Kotal had a deep frown on his face. "They _what?_ " His hands now turned to fists. If there was anything the Kahn hated, it was the notion of betrayal. And the fact that they'd turn on them when they already have a potential war in hand with another realm was enough to make him irate.

"The four that went in search of Ermac," Koren slowly stood up, still panting a bit, "They attacked us in the woods not far from here." He finally stood straight, regarding the Emperor. "Me and them had to run out of there."

"In the woods? Near my Palace? Not far from here? My soldiers?" Kotal's eyes narrowed dangerously as he assessed the information.

Koren nearly put his hands in a pleading gesture. "Yes, I swear it! They saw them slaughter the others too!" The two that have now risen from the ground nodded in agreement. Kotal turned to the ground, and then away from Reptile, Koren, and the other two soldiers. Then he locked gazes with them.

"Bring in the other troops." He stood from his velvet seat, and turned to Reptile. "You, Erron, and Koren will go and find those four. Hunt them down. We will interrogate them in a trial." With that order, Reptile and Koren and the other two left the throne room.

Kotal refrained from taking drastic measures, but he couldn't help the thought of something much bigger going on while they were out there, and while he was sitting here. They couldn't just turn on him like that… _Could they?_ He shook his head. There is something going on, someone is after him. Otherwise, why did all of these weird disappearances happen after Ermac returned-

Kotal blinked. None of this happened up _until_ the construct came back. And when he asked where he was, his simple, yet uncharacteristic response was _"Out."_ Was Ermac in on this? Was he trying to ensconce from the Emperor? The thought seemed outrageous, but it seemed like this coincidence wasn't a coincidence at all. If he were to send many of his soldiers out to hunt _four_ people, he could risk putting the Palace in danger from Earthrealm, leading to his downfall. But if he didn't, then he may have made a bigger problem out of this strange situation. What it would be, he didn't know. He clenched his fists. He'll tighten his defense line, and get armored soldiers to bring the four back to him. And afterwards, he'll deal with Ermac and his strange behavior.

• **:•:•:•:•:•:•:•:•:•**

Reptile stopped in front of the slit-open door of Erron's room. He knocked, despite it being open, and kept his fist at the door. He heard shuffling in the room, the mercenary was probably sleeping. The door opened fully to reveal Erron in nothing but boxers, tiredly running his eyes. _I guessed correctly_. He lowered his hand. "We got a job to do."

Erron yawned. "What?" He stretched. "A job? When?"

Reptile straight faced. "Yesss, a job, _right now_." He grabbed hold of Erron's arm, who pulled away, still tired.

"I just woke up," He started, "Tell me what this is all about first, and let me freshen up too."

 _Freshen up to go and hunt people down?_ "Remember thossse four ssoldierss that went misssing?"

"Yeah; Tei'ka, Couga, Xian and I forgot the other guy's name."

"Kein." Reptile stated. Knowing the names of the soldiers wasn't mandatory, but since they worked most closely with the rangers, it became rudimentary. "Well, Koren and two of hiss other teammatess came back and told uss the resst of the team wass attacked by them."

Erron raised a brow. "Really?"

"Yess," Reptile leaned on one foot.

A very foreboding notion came upon Erron as he recalled what Ermac said a few days ago. Behind the door, Erron's fist clenched, and unluckily for him, his face was exposed.

Reptile continued. "We have to go and hunt them down. Sso you're coming with me."

"The army probably isn't ready yet. Quit rushing me." Erron pulled his hand away again, and when back into his room to change. He out on his boots, vest and trademark hat. Loading his pistols and putting them in his holster, he went back to the door.

Stepping out of his room, He closed the door, and nodded for he and Reptile to walk on. Erron sighed, in all honesty, he felt like this was some sort of trap by the sorcerer himself; Of course, Shang Tsung would be out there snatching souls, and of course he would shapeshift just to scare and falsify what Koren had said. But at the same time, Koren said that all _four_ of them attacked and not one. Shang Tsung can't shapeshift into multiple people, can he?

"Something bad iss going to happen."

Erron blinked and looked at Reptile, who he inferred shared the same feeling. He raised his eyebrows, looks like he wasn't somewhat alone. But he didn't want to hint at his acknowledgement. Not when he hasn't seen it himself. "Like them dying…"

"No…" Erron frowned. "Like… thiss isss jusst… there'ss ssomething behind this; ssomeone wass behind them."

His figurative speech didn't befuddle Erron. "Or they could just be random enemies of the same realm."

"Yeah, because Koren would tell uss that four of _Kotal's_ soldiers attacked him insstead of jusst ssaying ssome random people attacked them." Erron raised a brow; it was rare to hear Reptile being sarcastic, in any situation regardless. Reptile sighed. "Look, there may be ssomeone out there much more powerful who turned them against uss."

Erron narrowed his eyes. Reptile turned away from him, and Erron swallowed.

A frustrated exhale of breath came from Reptile. "Well, the three are pretty foolish for trying to rebuke our liege. Either that or what I said is true."

Erron stopped a bit in both of their trek. "Okay, what did Koren tell you? What'd he say exactly?"

"Well, he came in the room, rather _ran_ in, and he told me and Ko'atal that he wass attacked by them. They didn't have much to fight with, and four of hiss squad were dead. They were in the woodss, probably the one that'ss hourss away from thiss Palace."

"Okay..." Erron nodded slowly. His hands rested on the back of his holstered revolvers.

"Either _way_ ," Reptile leaned forward, looking like he was trying to prove a point, "We'll still go after them. Otherwise why would they disappear and try to kill Koren's team?"

"Alright, great." Erron started, "But do you know where they are _now_?" Reptile stayed silent. "See?"

"We will _find_ them." He and Erron walked outside and into the large training field with all the soldiers. Reptile decided to go to them and yell a bunch of words in a language Erron didn't really understand. He yawned again, and looked around and out at the Palace walls, Through one of the windows, he noticed a familiar faint green aura pass by. Reptile walked up to him, and nodded, and he walked forward, the army right behind him. Erron looked up at the same window he saw Ermac pass by, and continued on with the army.

• **:•:•:•:•:•:•:•:•:•**

_**Y** _ _**ou're going to get killed.** _

_**This is the worst idea you could ever have.** _

_**What do you have to say for yourself?** _

Can these voices just shut up for ten minutes?

_**Try two whole decades, you decrepit drone.** _

Ermac clenched his fists again as he made his way to Kotal's room. This may be the closest he's come to actual fear in nearly two months. What would Kotal say? What would he _do_?

As he walked, he passed by a window, and he stopped to look outside. The sun was out and bright, its morning sky was a light yellow hue. It was a bit breezy since Ermac could feel the wind against his face; that's probably the only thing that _didn't_ feel painful. He looked down to the sandy surface of the ground and the soldiers rallied up with armor caught his eye. They looked towards the direction of a door in the lower floor, expecting someone to approach them. After a few seconds, out came the Zaterran, who started to speak to the soldiers. What Ermac could pick up was that four of Kotal's men killed a few on their own side, and that they were going to fight. He blinked, and ran what Reptile said through his head multiple times just to make sure the souls weren't also affecting his hearing. He frowned when a second person emerged from the door.

Erron.

Almost instantly, Ermac felt the uncanny urge to throw the cowboy across the city. _What did he tell them?_ That was the first thing that ran through his mind. Would Erron double cross him and actually give away such a secret that could potentially put him in harm? And he didn't even tell the Kahn about it yet, is he daft enough to go ahead and do his job for him?

 _No._ He couldn't jump to conclusions. He _shouldn't_ jump to conclusions. From what Reptile said, there were soldiers that were causing mayhem. So maybe… maybe Erron didn't say anything about Shang Tsung.

Hopefully.

In fact, he should be going to the Kahn now. He had an approach to this info… maybe only tell him about the sorcerer and his sighting and not the actual attack. He continued his thoughtful journey to Kotal's room.

A painful, thoughtful journey, because he felt like there was a Takatan biting his head as he walked.

When he reached the large doors, he took the deepest breath he could muster, and slowly opened the doors. He looked up, keeping his hand on the door.

Kotal wasn't there.

Ermac exhaled loudly. Now he'll have to find him, which will take time, which will make him walk, which will make him think, and he didn't want to think because his mind would screw him over if he did so.

Sometimes he really wondered if the universe worked against him on purpose.

He went down the halls, down the stairs, and down the lobby. Kotal wasn't in any of those locations, so he went to check the conference room. Opening the doors, Ermac impatiently looked around. He walked in and traced his fingers along the edge of the table, Kotal wasn't here either. Ermac looked down at the ground; of course, on the one time Ermac actually had something important to say, and on the one time he really wanted to speak on matters like this, Kotal had to be somewhere other than the places that he usually should have been. _Of course_.

"Looking for someone?"

Just when he was going to berate himself for having the worst possible fate in history, he turned to the door and Kotal stood right there. The way the Emperor looked at him gave the construct an unsettling feeling in his sunken stomach.

"Emperor…" Why did he suddenly forget what he had to say? His memory was always excellent and now he could barely construe a sentence. "We have to talk to you about something."

Kotal looked like he was thinking about something that most likely opposes the construct. The slight narrow of his eyes, and the pursing of his lips, as well as the way he stood and crossed his arms made it very clear that Kotal knew something.

"Go ahead."

Ermac blinked, but still continued on anyway. His fingers never left the table. "More than two months ago, when we were wandering, we saw... a sorcerer..." _**Continue on, construct.**_ "...He wasn't close to us, but... we spotted him walking around."

Kotal made a sound, and nodded. He took two steps towards Ermac. "And in all this time, you didn't want to tell me this?"

"We didn't think-" Okay, stop right there. What could he say now? What could he say that wouldn't make him sound like he was trying to do harm to the Kahn? "We didn't think much of it. But…" _**Good cover.**_ "He may have something to do with your soldiers disappearing..."

The Emperor scratched his head, almost thoughtfully. "Hmm…" Just the way Kotal sounded made Ermac so uneasy that it was starting to affecting his head now. "And you are thinking much of it now?" Kotal uncrossed his arms. "So you decided that now would be a good time to tell me?"

He could tell that Kotal was trying to keep himself down, was trying to refrain from being angry. Ermac inhaled. "We weren't… we couldn't-"

Erron entered the room _just_ before Ermac was going to expose, and possibly embarrass himself. "Kotal, our army is ready." The gunslinger's eyes went to Ermac, who held a range of emotions.

Perhaps from angry, to downright murderous. It wasn't really a huge range.

Kotal nodded to Erron, and looked at Ermac once more. "If what you say is true, _Ermac_ ," The souls stirred once again, and Ermac had to purse his lips to keep from falling to ground, "Then Reptile, and Erron will see to it. Rest, you are dismissed."

_**If anything, we'd rather be disposed.** _

_**Or dispersed.** _

Ermac nodded slowly, and walked quickly out of the conference room. As he passed by the masked gunslinger, he gave him an angry glare unnoticed by the Emperor, and exited the room.

Once he was out of earshot between the two, he turned the hall and started hitting his head as a silent plea to shut the souls up. After about a dozen or two hits, he sighed tiredly. He was just… Tired. Completely tired of everything, and possibly everyone around him.

"Ermac."

 _And now, Erron wants to speak with him._ Of all the times- why didn't he just go and fight and prove Ermac right… or wrong? He didn't even turn towards Erron immediately, he slowly did so. "... _What?_ "

Erron stopped in front of him. Ermac blinked. "Just go."

"I didn't tell him." Erron whispered to the construct in the empty halls. "Look, if that's what you're angry about-"

"We're not _angry_." _**We are exhausted, tired, dead, fragile-**_ "Just, go. We wish to meditate now." _ **You can't even keep yourself standing.**_

 _ **Idiot.**_ If these spirits don't silence themselves-

"Alright." Erron spoke once more, cutting Ermac's thoughts off, and walked away. The construct turned around, and navigated back to his room, all the while clenching his fists to keep from slamming his head against the hallway walls.

One of the many reasons he chooses to keep his room a secret.


	9. Chapter 9

The woods weren't as ominous in the afternoon as they are overnight. Silence wrapped around the atmosphere like a, thick coating, an uncomfortable suspense wavered through the large group. The soldiers walked through a wide dirt path, with Reptile, Erron, and Koren leading the way. Since Reptile was still a bit paranoid, he bought in an extra fifty soldiers, half being archers and the other half were the offense. In total they had close to one hundred armed militants walking through a relatively cleared place in the foggy woods. Reptile turned to Koren, "Are you sure it was Kein and the three who attacked you?"

Koren's orange eyes went to Reptile. "Yes. He killed four of my squad."

 _We will see then_. The distant snap of a twig was heard from the right of the army, and all of them turned, before recognizing the innocuous sound. The archers pulled at the strings of their bows, and the swordsman tightened their grip. Erron saw the shadow of a man, no, _three_ men, walking in the opposite direction of where the twig snapped. He narrowed his eyes. "Koren…" he nodded to the three _very_ familiar spies walking amongst the trees. Koren looked at where Erron gestured to, and his eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his head.

"But...but they died! I saw them die!"

"Are you trying to trick us?" Reptile's slithery voice when deeper.

"I literally saw them die not even a week ago! They can't be alive! Kein's crew killed th-"

An arrow whizzed past Reptile's right ear, and impaled Koren's head. The army men turned to see the perpetrator. It was Kein. Reptile, despite being shocked, yelled at the others to attack. A throng of arrows zoomed through the sky, and landed in the Kahn's soldiers, killing at least two dozen in range. Then, to Reptile, and Erron's surprise, _fifty_ soldiers emerged behind of Kein. They ran to the opening in which the Kahn's army was. The battle had begun.

Tei'ka came through and shot a longbow dart at Reptile, who rolled to his side quickly, the arrow skinning his arm but not making a deep cut. He stood, and was faced with the former guard of the Kahn. Eyes laced in enmity, he walked to the side of Tei'ka, who didn't move but turned his head to Reptile.

"You traitor. Who are you working for?!"

Tei'ka didn't answer. Instead he lunged forward with a hidden blade beneath his wrist band. Reptile went to dodge, but had it not been for the clandestine blade, he wouldn't have sliced a part of his arm. The Zaterran pulled back, holding his now green bloodied arm. His eyes went to Tei'ka, who had his leg up, and drop-kicked Reptile in the back. He fell forward, on the same arm that was wounded, and cried out. Tei'ka loaded his crossbow, looking at Reptile. Reptile squinted; his eyes were _empty_ , as dull as an unlit oil lamp. Just before Tei'ka was able to shoot, a ballistic knife hit him straight in the neck, causing blood to spurt everywhere. He fell to the door, his dull eyes still open.

Reptile slowly sat up. He watched in shock as a very faint aura came over him, and then was zapped back into him, but he still laid lifeless. Slowly, the Zaterran's eyes widened, and he looked around the battle area to see the same effect happening to the enemy soldiers. The dead Kahn soldiers were wrested of this same aura which went straight to the enemies and their bodies. Reptile stumbled upward; _there was definitely someone behind this…_

Erron continued shooting, his bullets pierced through the heads of the perpetrators with ease. He reloaded quickly, and turned to shoot a swordsman with a quick draw clock. The soldier fell back, and the same peculiar sight Reptile saw was in front of Erron. He raised a brow, his hand still outstretched, _what the hel-_

An arrow, barely hitting Erron's hand, went straight at the barrel of his revolver, the force making Erron's arm sway harshly to the left, and made him stumble, the barrel completely dislodged from the gun itself. His eyes landed first on his revolver, then at the perpetrator. Kein approached Erron, locking eyes with the gunslinger, and Erron took his only revolver and shot to aim at Kein's head. Kein stepped to the side, the bullet going past him as he brandished a combat knife. He went straight at Erron aiming for a punch, but Erron dodged, and his second hand holding the knife came down towards Erron's chest. He held the guard's wrist, keeping Kein from stabbing him. He struggled to even throw Kein's arm back, the guard was much stronger than him. The point of the blade grazed against his chest. Erron pulled his own left hand down, grabbing his pistol, and shooting Kein in the stomach. He shoved Kein off of him, and rubbed his pants. He looked back at his broken revolver, then his left hand, and cursed. A sudden projectile blast to the ground making Erron fly back several feet, and he landed in a foggy premise away from the opening of the woods. With a grunt, he stood up, wiping the bits of dirt from his face, and in the midst of fixing his hat.

"Long time, no see, _Erron_."

The gunslinger knew that voice. He knew it from a mile away. He didn't even properly fix his hat, scrambling to get up and face the familiar man. He felt a foreboding lump in his gut. "Shang Tsung?!"

The sorcerer floated in front of him, away from the opening where the main war was taking place. Shang Tsung wore something akin to what Erron remembered a century ago; the only difference was that he had an open, unsleeved red and brown lined trench coat with gold designs around it. He still looked just as young as he did a century ago. Erron shook his head; there was _no way_ that he was alive, and well, _right in front of him_.

"Surprise?"

He narrowed his eyes. _The fuck?_ "Why are you here?"

He didn't answer his question. "I figured Kotal's army was a bit _too slow_ for my liking to come and find me. Looks like you all were uninformed."

Erron frowned. "I've known of you being alive, sorcerer." He spat out the term like vinegar. "Ermac told of it."

"He told _you_?"

" _Yes, he did_."

"When?" Shang Tsung tilted his head, "Because it sure wasn't a month ago, nor was it two weeks ago. If it were, then I would've been seized before I had the time to make this." He gestured towards the many fighting warriors in the battlefield. Erron turned around, and looked back at Shang Tsung, who was now smiling. "Did he only tell you, Erron?"

Erron's eye grew dark. Shang Tsung continued, "Why do you think he kept it such a secret for so long, have you ever asked that?"

 _I know what he told me_. Erron's hands gripped his pistol. "You're speaking nonsense."

"Am I?" The gunslinger's right temple tensed. "He didn't want Kotal to know of me. He values his life more than anything else."

Erron stayed silent.

Shang Tsung raised his hands. "Ah, figures. It would hurt for him to watch your Emperor's infrastructure fall because of me, wouldn't it? Perhaps he is much too selfish to realize what he has done to the realm." The double meaning in his statement didn't catch up to Erron.

"He hasn't done shit!" Erron retorted, a snide frown on his face. "You are telling nothing but lies!"

"Really?"

" _Yes_." He was already getting tired of this bullshit.

"Actions speak louder than words, Erron…" And with that, he raised his hand, the dirt ground in front of him emitting large very like orbs towards Erron's direction. Rolling out of the way and onto his feet, Erron had his only revolver in hand, as he shot at the rocks that are now flying at him. When he shot down the last rock, he looked forward to see that Shang Tsung had vanished. Head frantically whipping around, he reloaded and spin the barrel. "Stop fucking with me!"

From the corner of the gunslinger's eye, he noticed the sorcerer seem to walk right past him, and felt a hand on his back. Before Erron can turn to react, he felt a burning blast against his spine, sending him to a tree. Erron fell to the ground on his back, and reached up to touch his moist nose. When he looked at his hand, there was a considerable amount of blood against his palm. Erron sat up far too quickly and whipped his head around. Shang Tsung was gone. He blinked, and then groaned, instantly regretting his rapid actions.

Reptile looked around the opening. Only a mere fifty soldiers and Kotal's army was on par with _them_ , not the other way around. They nearly _doubled_ the amount of enemies on the woods, and now a couple dozen were still alive. What would Ko'atal say about this? How was he going to explain this to him? A random soldier came at him with dagger. He swerved to the side, and moved to grab his neck tightly, and then cracking it noisily. _Where's Erron?_

The Zaterran noticed the adversaries, must to his esconsed gratitude, started to _collectively_ retreat. They moved back within the woods and away from Kotal's army. A shuffle came from his far right, and turned. Erron was wiping his nose, and he fell to his knees. Reptile ran towards him, as well as two other soldiers who spotted him. He pulled Erron up by his arms, and three words that Reptile would never think to hear came from Erron's mouth.

"Shang Tsung is alive."

The Zaterran blinked once, twice, several times until the information really pierced through him.

" _What?_ " Reptile nearly sounded like he was seething. He knew it; he _fucking_ knew it.

"You heard me. We gotta go tell Kotal. Fast." Erron stood on his own, and dusted his knees. The guards and Reptile were still staring at Erron, still surprised at the newfound information. " _Now._ "

Reptile called out to the remaining troops. He was surprised at how… _outclassed_ they were. A hundred well armed soldiers against fifty, and there were only about two dozen of them left. As well as Shang Tsung's army, he presumed with a grain of salt, retreating, and _not all of them were dead._ In fact, Reptile was sure more than three quarters of his soldiers were still alive. _How?_

"Listen… we can't fight them anymore." Reptile stood in front of the now smaller group. "We will have to return to the Kahn before exacting any more offense." _Like we even can at this point._ He walked forward, taking a map and speaking to a soldier in an Outworld tongue. After they spoke, Reptile pointed southeast. "This way!"

‹ **x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›‹x›**

Alone once more, Ermac sat in his red room, absentmindedly running his hand through a silk red pillow. His muscles eased the feeling of stretching and contracting, which was a good thing. But every now and then, and it slowly got more frequent, he'd feel uncomfortable. His skin would feel itched and irritated, especially against his chest. His hand slowly traveled from the pillow to his arm, and against the talisman. The souls didn't start a fit again, and he pretty much felt empty throughout the days. He hasn't spoke in such a long time, and he doesn't know, or doesn't want to know, what his voice sounded like right now. Or ever.

But just in case the time comes necessary, he'd have to. He slowly opened his mouth, which felt like opening an ancient seal.

" _We are m-"_ He covered his mouth. _What in the gods was that?_ He sounded like sandpaper and a grinder, and a rusty wrench turning a nail. Shaking his head, he tried again.

"We…" he said every word slowly, "...Are…" Stressing out his vowels, "...Many." He groaned, his voice still sounded cringeworthy. It was then he realized despite being quiet, there hasn't been a day where he _didn't_ speak. And ever since Shao Kahn's soul left him, he found it meaningless to talk, and painful to talk too. Now that his body didn't hurt so much, he felt like any more vocal strain would tear his throat. Not that it was still hurting, rather he felt so physically weak and empty, as though he didn't exist.

He shook that thought off.

He found his thoughts being so scattered the past two weeks. At one moment, he'd be thinking of one thing and then the next setting for another. And most of those scattered thoughts went back to the well-being Outworld. He spent some time walking through the streets, which wasn't uncommon for him, and unfortunately, it was when his body felt like stretching clay. But he noticed many things in his recursive job.

Like how he saw more than ten incarcerated people, give or take any day. And the way they are hit and slammed to the ground because of their meek resistance.

Like how he noticed the civilians were too afraid to even _exit_ their homes and would throw their needless things out to their backyards.

He didn't think, or maybe even perceive, all of these questionable situations that occurred _daily_ before. The way the police force was being militarized was slowly making the frown on Ermac's face more prominent. And then he took a look at Kotal's large statue.

He never paid _much_ heed to the men above and on the ground building this colossal feature in honor of the Emperor. Whenever he was given the errand to patrol, he would see the _same_ people, in the _same_ place, sweating and holding their axes and awls like fly swatters. Were these people fed? Were they given breaks? Why are they doing this all day and night, why are they doing this at all?

Every time he looked at the statue, and the slaves building, he grew angry. This statue was built with the sweat and blood of slaves, during a time period when brutality was still rampant. During a time period when fear knocked at the public's conscience every single day. Was this a way to start a ruling of empty promises, or is he on his way to becoming another Shao Kahn? If Kotal wanted a statue, he can wait until he's fixed the infrastructure of his kingdom.

Isn't that what he wanted to do in the first place? Why is he dismissing his people like this? Kotal said that they were now in a time of peace, and walking around the streets for one single day proved him _wrong_. Ermac knew that if this continued, Kotal could end up breaking Outworld completely, with the realm already being highly unstable. There would be no way they'd win a war, let alone a _battle_. The civil unrest made Ermac unrest and frustrated, and it continued to grow every single day. Kotal has to reflect on this, about the way he's asserting himself to his people. Yes, they are supposed to be somewhat afraid, but not petrified by a single knock door on their door.

His fists clenched; that statue shouldn't _be_ there now. Another thought came to him; where was Shang Tsung? He hasn't seen him ever since their encounter. Was it a good idea to keep their encounter a secret? Should he go and tell Kotal-

 _ **No**_ _._ He'll risk putting himself in danger. _For telling the truth?_ Now he frowned, the souls used to berate him for continuing to live his sad excuse of a _life_ , and now he shouldn't tell Kotal about Shang Tsung's revival. _Isn't that what they wanted?_

_**Now you want to die in the most pathetic way possible?** _

_**Do you really think that will resolve our anger?** _

He looked down at his talisman. Why does everything on his body irritate him, namely his attire? It felt uncomfortable against his sore skin. He hasn't seen his bare chest in _years_. He wanted to rip the talisman off of his chest, he wanted to claw at his legs and arms until all he felt was pain, pain that he was certain the cause of. He wanted to rip off the leather trench coat, along with the leather everything underneath, and dare he say it, just sit in his room with nothing on...Maybe that was a bit too extreme. Ermac clutched at his chest. Now that he can pretty much _feel_ his body, he's starting to hate it. And he can't change his attire because his it's _literally_ bolted onto him. Bound by a talisman, both mentally and physically. He shook his head, _again_ , for the umpteenth time.

Wasn't he just trying to test his voice? Now he's thinking about Outworld, and then upset that his clothing felt like adhesive glue on his skin? He is _really_ unstable.

Ermac sighed. Why was it so hard to keep a single thought- _**You're a soul vessel. Of merely one thousand soldiers now.**_ _Merely?_ Makes sense. He didn't have his own _controlling_ soul, he's stuck with the mindsets of others… Forever. He blinked, and looked around the room, the exterior silence wasn't frowned upon, but he blinked in realizing something else; _why is it much quieter now?_ Literally, the souls weren't yelling and cursing at him. It's been much quieter since he started thinking. It was actually easier to meditate right now.

And that sounded like a really good idea.

Taking advantage of the morsel of tranquility in his mind, He got into position, crossing his legs and closing his eyes, putting himself into rumination. The souls didn't stir against him.

_Finally._


	10. Chapter 10

And just when he thought the Earthrealmers were a problem.

Kotal Kahn sat on his throne, leaning on his side with his cheek propped against his fist, as that was his most frequent position nowadays, deep in thought. It has been a few days since Reptile and Erron left, and it has also been a full day since Ermac confronted him. His thoughts went back to their little chat, eyes narrowing in the reminiscence.

_Unveiling the purple cloth over its surface, the late Emperor took a step towards the small case; a golden stand that had a velvet cushion on top of its elegant features. The object was protected by a glass rectangular cover, and a small lock on the front of the stand. He looked from the lock, to the artifact sitting on the velvet surface._

_Shao Kahn's skull._

_The former Emperor's skull sat within the glass casing, Kotal's eyes wandering over every crack, curve, dent, and line of the skull. His blue hands slowly reached up to the locks, eyes still on the skull as his movements were gradual._

_A knock came from the large doors._

_Instantly, Kotal dropped his hands, inhaled, and then took the cloth and laid it over the golden case, it now looked like nothing more than a tall table. With a light 'Come in', Kotal expected one of his guards to come in tell him of Erron and Reptile and of them returning in one piece. Instead, the tip of black gloves held against the door, as the figure stepped in, one foot, and then the other, and finally closing the door softly._

_Ermac._

_Kotal frowned, and tilted his head. "Ermac," he took a few steps towards the construct, fingers no where near the purple cloth, "What brings you here?"_

_Ermac looked down at the ground, mouth pursed as he took two steps towards the throne, and not Kotal, who was approaching the throne now. With an inhale, Ermac spoke._

" _There is a serious problem."_

_Kotal's frown deepened. "And what is this problem you speak of?" Other than his soldiers missing, and four of them attacking his liege. Ermac looked up at him._

" _Have you looked at the city lately?" Ermac's arms were poised on his sides._

_Kotal sat down on his throne, and raised an eyebrow. There was no rucus or anything, in fact it has been really quiet these past weeks. The public wasn't causing any problems, and if they did, he would be the first to know. "I've seen the city enough, Ermac." Kotal turned his head to the side, still looking at Ermac. "As far as I know, there is nothing wrong within Z'Unkahrah as we speak."_

_Something crossed Ermac's features, and Kotal could tell that by the way Ermac's left eye twitched, and his hands shook slightly. However, the construct kept his voice level._

" _Kotal," he started, "Did you know of the citizens being arrested over the course of a month?"_

_Kotal narrowed his eyes, confused. "What?"_

_Ermac continued. "Did you know of those same citizens being tackled and held down as they being arrested? Did you know of the way the guards have been storming the streets recently?"_

" _What are you getting at, Ermac?"_

" _Answer our question."_

_This was new, completely new. Of course, Ermac had some sense of ground as he knew it, but Ermac never demanded anything from the Kahn before. And Kotal was starting to grow wary of his changing behavior. "I do know of all of that."_

" _You continue to let it happen?" Ermac took one step forward. "You think that those procedures are necessary?"_

_Kotal didn't say anything. He just continued to look at Ermac with confusion._

" _Why?" Ermac's voice, although raspy, sounded nearly irritated more than concerned._

" _Why are asking me these questions?"_

_Ermac visibly inhaled, and Kotal blinked. "It will not work, Emperor." Kotal took note of Ermac's intense gaze. "You are instilling fear in these people. This brutality that the guards show towards the citizens is uncalled for. Too many people have been arrested, for little crimes that shouldn't be worthy of such penalty."_

_Kotal would have shrugged at this, and at what Ermac was saying. This was almost common sense for the Emperor himself, but he didn't know what the construct wanted from him in context with what he was saying. "And what do you want me to do about that? There must be justice wherever there is rule, Ermac."_

" _What is going on down there, in those streets, is not justice." Ermac's eyes narrowed into slits. "You continue to petrify the public while they are building your statue. And that statue was supposed to represent the peace that you said you'd bring to Z'Unkahrah, and Outworld as a whole. Beating down citizens because they cannot fight, or because they have different views than you, is nowhere near peace, Emperor."_

_Kotal's confusion was wiped from his face. He stood from his seat slowly. "Have you forgotten, Ermac, that I am the ruler of Outworld? It is my duty to bring the peace."_

" _Well," Ermac's face was corrosive, his hands balled into fists, "You haven't been doing your duty lately."_

_Kotal was actually trying not to show his shock, and anger, at the construct before him. Ermac said that he wasn't doing his job, but as Emperor it is important to have security in the city. And with the way people have been acting towards one another and towards the realm itself, this kind of police state was needed. If not, then the realm would be made of nothing more than riots and destroyed refuges._

" _Such police measures are needed, Ermac."_

" _No they aren't. If anything, it will make Outworld's division more of a problem than it already is." Now, the construct sounded like he was trying to reason with the Kahn, so Kotal kept open ears to hear what he'll have to say. "If you continue tugging at the public's strings like this, one day when you decide that these measures should be void, the people are going to be very upset with you."_

" _And?"_

_Ermac looked very offended. "If that happens, then-"_

" _Ermac, I am not going to tell you how I am governing the people of Outworld, but I'll tell you that your prediction is wrong. I knowing what I am doing. I didn't have the throne not knowing what will await me." Kotal leanrd forward, resting elbows on his knees, and clasping his hands together. "Everything that has been happening is just procedure. These citizens know that. They only people who are being arrested are the ones who threaten the livelihood of the public, and the city itself."_

_It looked Ermac wasn't taking what he was saying, but the construct was trying to formulate another argument. Kotal leaned back, resting his elbow on the armrest, and propping his chin with the tips of his fingers._

" _Kotal, you leave some room open for suggestions. You aren't doing what's right for the people, you are only doing this for the betterment of your rule."_

_Kotal didn't fall back from his stance. "I do what is necessary to keep Outworld in order, Ermac, nothing more. The realm is better off with order than without, is it not?" Kotal placed his folded hands on his lap._

_The construct blinked once, twice, and stood straight, looking more irate than irritated at Kotal's response. He looked like he was going to drop another argument in Kotal's hands, as though he found something flawed in the Emperor's statement. The construct took a deep, silent breath._

" _Sure, it would."_

_The causticity in Ermac's voice, made Kotal blink, and to his surprise, Ermac turned around, and walked out of the throne room without a word._

Kotal found himself clenching his fists.

Releasing the tension in his joints, he looked down at the floor. _Sure it was…_ 'Would' meant future tense; what was Ermac trying to imply? That Shao Kahn was doing better than he at ruling Outworld?

The former Emperor was a tyrant; he ruled the realm with blood and iron, and it wasn't his. He put the people under oppression, and left no room for compromise, any problem he had would be solved with his hammer. In terms of economics, most of the public was sentenced to peasantry, and the caliph only cared about imperialist manners; merging realms to absolve his rule was his only main goal over the course of thousands of years. As far as he sees, Ermac did not like the thought of tyranny, the construct himself was more of a liberal than a conservative. Hearing something that advocates to anything of Shao Kahn should be expected, because Shao Kahn's soul was in him. So why would Ermac speak of the future?

Kotal's frown turned into one of epiphany; was there someone who wanted to usurp him, does Ermac want to overthrow the Kahn? The construct, as abstruse as he can be, was also highly unpredictable. He almost never leads anyone on to what he thinks or plans. So, was that a warning?

 _No._ Kotal can't have another possible strife on his plate. His soldiers were betraying him, Reptile and Erron were now in a battle, which would make him lose even _more_ armymen, and therefore wither his defense against anything the Earthrealmers could possibly throw at him, and now Ermac was t _threatening_ his position as the Emperor?

Kotal shook his head. Maybe he was overthinking, maybe he was misinterpreting what the construct said. _But what other interpretation could there be?_

The sound of people talking below and outside caught Kotal's attention, surprisingly. The Osh-Tekk stood up and walked towards the open patio of his throne room. He noticed Reptile and Erron, two of his most trusted enforcers, walking with around two dozen troops. He turned was about to leave the patio to greet them when he double took.

 _Two_ dozen? Didn't he send fifty soldiers prior to Koren's crew being attacked? _Don't tell me four men were able to take down half a small army._ He walked out of his room, and down a hall, to a flight of stairs, and down to the main entrance. The frown on his face was strong, he can guess that from the way Reptile slightly flinched when he approached them.

"Kotal."

He took two deep breaths, eyes closed, and opening them when he spoke. "What happened to the rest of the army?"

"Okay…" Erron stepped in, "We have a battle, with fifty other soldiers, including Xian, Cou'ga, and Tei'ka and…"

"Kein." Reptile turned to Erron, and continued, looking back at the Kahn. "They defeated us in an ambush-"

" _They_ set up a small army to rival _me?"_

Reptile raised his hands. "No, it wasn't them. Erron told me that he-"

"Shang Tsung is back."

Kotal raised his eyebrows, his eyes widened. "Shang Tsung… the sorcerer …alive?" Both of them nodded slowly. "You're telling me he has his own army, out of my men?" The seething rage in his voice made Reptile and Erron lean back a bit.

Erron decided to keep the tidbit that Shang Tsung told him. _Ermac and he fought;_ It would seem reasonable, considering how he rarely floats nowadays, and he has been cooped up in his room for more than a week at one point. But then again, would he have really hide that from Kotal? If so, then why? What was he trying to do?

" _Where's Ermac_?"

It shocked both rangers that Kotal said that with so much enmity. Erron spoke. "He's… in his room, I think. I don't know."

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Ermac was back to doing what he always used to do; Wandering through the halls of the Kahn's Palace. The halls he was in were empty, Ermac only did this secretly, while no one would see him.

Why he used to and still does it, he didn't know. He had a thing for wandering through places, although he barely ever left the Kahn's Palace unless if it were under his instruction, or if Ermac simply wanted to be outside of his room. Maybe it was boredom, but then again he walked all throughout the Palace nearly every day in his time of serving under him. _**Or maybe you're just trying to poorly reach out for the help that you won't get.**_

And once again, his mind decided to torture him.

He looked ahead, and for some odd reason the halls seemed different. It seemed to stretch longer than it should've, and even with the same paintings and frescos against the embossed walls, it still felt like an unfamiliar place. He walked through the halls not even three days ago, and it looked as though there would be a new path at the turning corner.

Ermac put his hand against his forever aching head, the simple action made his arms hurt. How horrid is he, that he forgets the innards of the Palace, after having walked through it _nearly every week?_

 _ **Very**_.

He suddenly didn't like the idea of walking through this hall again. Or through the Palace in general. Or walking in general. His legs felt like they were being squeezed. He found slight refuge against a wall again, his head running wild and that wretched pulse coming back once more. He leaned against the wall, and slid down in his silent agony while clutching his head. If anyone saw him, it would look like he were hiding his face under his knees. _Pathetic..._

_**Yes you are.** _

He forced himself back up. There was no point in writhing in one place if he wanted this to stop. Rising on shaky knees again, Ermac continued down the hall. Such a simple task felt like it took hours, when really it was just a minute. _How distorted is his perception of time right now?_

A very irritating feeling came to him, and he didn't know what it was. But for some reason, walking down and through the same corridors of the Kahn wasn't as alleviating as it used to be. Even the silence wasn't enough to help him. Ermac subconsciously looked towards a large patio of the hall. He walked to the edge, and placed his gloved hands on the railing. He closed his eyes as he felt the breeze against his hooded face, inhaling and exhaling slowly. His eyes went to the sandy grounds of Outworld, the patio was on the opposite side of the main entrance. The streets were quiet and vacant, there was no one there. He felt a vague connection with the atmosphere.

He slowly pulled himself up to sit on the railing, and looked down. _Could we go down from here?_ Ermac knew he lost a considerable amount of spiritual energy from Shang Tsung, but he didn't know how much of it would wrest his flying ability now. His body wasn't even that heavy. He focused on himself, feeling the green energy swirl around him, but this time it was less vibrant. It's been such a long time since he's seen his own aura, and seeing it bought a content feeling within him; vague nostalgia.

He felt himself being lifted off the railing slowly, and in the air. He looked down at the ground below him, his feet hanging in his vision. Slowly descending, he looked around at scenery and then back at the wall of the palace, at the windows, at the gates, and then to the sky. It looked so inviting, the outside. The wind felt nice and cool against his skin, the space was open and _free_ , he flexed his fingers, feeling his once powerful green aura surrounding him.

His feet touched the ground, and he took another long look at the outside. He took one step. The sandy ground felt soft under his wrapped feet. He took another. It felt so different, being outside instead of walking in that Palace, and it made his souls… quiet. It was weird enough, it seemed as though nothing would satisfy them.

He slowly started to walk out and into the night, not taking a glance back at the Kahn's Palace. Which ironically, he was soon to be searched for within the large manor as he broke away from it's sight.

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"He's not answering his door." Reptile knocked more than three times, and Erron frowned. _The hell is he doing in there?_

"I dunno if he's in there or not." Erron reasoned. "We should check somewhere els-"

"Move." One of the guards pushed past Erron, who was about ready to punch him for it, until he noticed the man raising his steel booted foot. Before Erron could enact, he kicked down the red door, and stood at the sight before he stepped in. Both Reptile and Erron raised their brows; in their years of enlistment, they _never_ saw the inside of Ermac's room before. The walls were red, pretty much everything was a shade of red all around. It was windowless, and there were candles around the small tables that had neatly stacked books and scrolls on them. Pillows were scattered in the center of his room in a circle, all of them were a vibrant red. There was no window, surprisingly, but the edge of the walls had red silk sheets hung elegantly. The candles on the walls lit the room almost in a way where everything was in perfect aesthetic.

What caught Erron and Reptile's attention after glancing all over the room were the small cracks in the wall. They looked like Ermac had been hitting his head against the wall in different areas multiple times. There were scratch marks on some of the pillows, and even one of the sheets were torn down but it was so inconspicuous that one wouldn't notice it on first glance. A lone book was sitting on the floor, the wall where it made contact with had a tiny dent in it. Both rangers were shocked, the room was really neat, but the cracks and dents on the wall and the scratches on his pillows gave _a lot_ away about how he was feeling over the course of a few weeks. Erron almost swallowed at the thought. The construct was nowhere to be found in his room, and the guard looked at Erron, who raised his hands still offended by the obnoxious shove.

"I said I didn't know, that was my first guess."

"Do you know where he is then?"

" _No_." His hands felt back to his sides, and the guard's eyebrows raised impatiently, "Calm down, he might be somewhere in the damn Palace. Quit being so uptight."

"The Kahn wants to interrogate him, _Mr. Black_."

 _For what?_ "Why?"

"He suspects him. That's what he told me." With that, the guard walked past Reptile, and this time, Erron side stepped so the gritty guard wouldn't dare to push him anymore. Reptile frowned, and turned to Erron. "Did Shang Tsung say anything about Ermac? Is that what Kotal thinks?"

"He did. Apparently, he and Ermac fought before, two months before he returned." Erron looked down.

"Why didn't you say _that_ too?"

Erron looked at Reptile, and gestured behind him, to the guards walking around the halls. "Do you see the way they are reacting right now?"

"...Right." The Zaterran looked away, and nodded, thinking. He then looked back at Erron, and was about to walk away from him. "I think I know where he iss." The gunslinger stopped Reptile with a hand on his shoulder.

"What are you going to do when you find him?"

"Bring him back," Reptile brushed Erron's hand off, "And maybe the Kahn will simply asssk him of ssomething." He walked away, with no room for Erron to ask anymore questions.

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Reptile carefully picked his trek, taking the shortest cut to the Living Forest. It didn't take long to run and find the large forest in sight. He's known Ermac since their days of serving Shao Kahn, this was one of the only places he could possibly be right now. If he wasn't here, then Reptile wouldn't have another clue of where he'd be. Ermac spent a lot of his time in the Living Forest, possibly just to meditate. Why he'd be in such a turbulent place, just for some rumination, Reptile had no clue. He carefully jumped from tree to tree, and after several jumps later, decided to land on the ground. He wasn't too deep in the forest; if he turned around, he'd still see the end of the Living Forest clearly. Claws crossed, he hoped that he'd find him in no time.

Reptile already told Kotal that he'd look for Ermac on his own. He didn't want to upset him any more by both failing and taking too much time. And just his luck, he walked around for five minutes and found Ermac sitting against a tree trunk, staring at the sky. Reptile stopped just to stare at him; He looked so distant, like he wasn't _there_ , but in a weirdly calm way, and he's almost always seen Ermac as a focused being. He walked up to him from his side, Ermac's face not in his view.

Reptile inhaled. "Ermac." The construct didn't turn, but he slowly put his hands against the ground. Growing impatient already, Reptile tapped at his shoulder to make him look back.

Ermac did turn, but slowly, looking at Reptile with a hint of annoyance in his eyes. "What?"

He sighed. "Kotal wantsss you." Why he asked for Ermac, and why he called such a search party for him was still unknown. Reptile could see the confusion and the change in Ermac's eyes; they were _dull._ They didn't glow as much as they used to before, and they swirled and churned, like a storm. He knelt down so that he was face level with Ermac. "We have to go." Ermac didn't move from his spot, still frowning at Reptile. " _Now._ "

Ermac shifted towards Reptile. "What does he want from us, then?" He slowly stood from his sitting position. Reptile paused. In all honesty, he didn't know why the Kahn had lashed out like that, especially with Ermac's door being broken down. What did he think of Ermac, having he not joined in to find the other soldiers? Sure, he was healed, he's healed enough to venture this far from the Palace, what did Kotal suspect from his absence?

"What does he _want_ from us?"

Reptile blinked back to Ermac, whose voice was still too raspy for his ears. He did an uncanny shrug. "I don't...know but, he wantsss you for ssomething." Ermac raised his brows, but narrowed his swirling eyes. Reptile flailed his arms, impatient. "Jussst- follow me." He walked on about several steps, and then turned to see Ermac glaring at him, taking steps towards Reptile's direction.

The construct looked highly offended. "We know where the Palace is. We aren't _lost_." Reptile sighed for the second time, Ermac caught up to him, and they walked through the Living Forest.

Luckily for Ermac, the sharp blades of grass couldn't be felt to him due to his wrapped feet. Even though he kind of wanted to feel something slice at his ankles as he walked. He shook his head.

_**Why do you hurt yourself so much?** _

_Why ask that question?_ Ermac honestly didn't know why he wanted to feel physical pain almost all the time. Maybe it was reassurance, at least, to remind him that his body exists, that he can respond to something _properly_ at least. Maybe he was suffering too much within, and it was slowly flourishing on his long neglected body. Maybe he just wanted to die-

 _No._ He doesn't want to die. He had no place existing, he probably wouldn't have a place when he's truly gone. Again, he shook his head more vigorously, looking down at the ground. He probably wouldn't feel it, the bladed grass, or possibly the whipping branches, because his mind is like mush right now.

"'...Ermac?" The construct looked up at Reptile. "You okay?"

"Why do you ask?"

The amount of hostility in his voice shocked the _both_ of them. "You're ssshaking your head. What are you thinking about?"

"Nothing."

Reptile half-nodded, then stopped and looked at Ermac with narrowed eyes. "Are you hiding sssomething?"

 _ **Yes. We are suffering internally, and everything feels so unstable and volatile, we feel like imploding any second.**_ "No, we are not."

"Then why are you sshaking your head?" Reptile crossed his arms and leaned towards Ermac. Ermac continued to look at him, and honestly Reptile felt a little apprehensive just from look at his eyes. He uncrossed his arms. "Look, I jusst want to know what the problem is, Ermac. If thiss iss anything due to Shang Tsung-"

Now it was Ermac's turn to narrow his eyes, arching brows at such a question. " _No_. It has nothing to do with the sorcerer. Where did you get that from?" He accidentally came out a bit too harsh, but with Ermac having walked around the city, and watching the unrest in the streets, as well as Kotal's seeming dismissal of such a situation, he may be justified, slightly justified in his tone of voice. "Our thoughts are not towards him."

"Then why sshake your head like that?"

" _Are our actions that much of a bother to you?_ " Ermac's eyes went to dangerous slits. "You are, it seems, supposed to escort us to the Palace. Although we do not need such reassurance for a location that we are well aware of." Did he just speak more than a sentence? And _coherently?_ "So why don't you do that, and let us be?"

"It iss _my_ duty to know the intentionss of Kotal'ss liege. You are close with him."

 _We aren't close to Kotal._ _ **If we were he would've tried to help us in the first place… Even if we are a bit stubborn.**_ "And so you think we would betray the Kahn simply from us walking out here?"

Reptile paused. "Well-"

"If we are close with him, if we are close with you all, you wouldn't be accusing us of being a traitor." He walked forward.

"I wassn't accussing you of being a traitor!" He sped up to catch up to Ermac. "I was assking if you were hiding anything. Ssaying that you are a traitor would be outrageous-"

"And that's exactly what you are implying." He gritted his teeth and stopped in front of Reptile, his was nearly seething. Ermac abruptly turned away when Reptile was going to speak again.

"Ermac! Get over here!"

"If Kotal wants us, then we will go to him." Ermac quickened his pace, breath heavy out of anger. Reptile sighed, and was about to say something else, until he heard the sound of leather boots against the dirt. Three hefty guards came through from their right, emerging from the trees. In shock, Reptile stopped walking; those were Kahn guards, and they were following him. Why would Kotal send soldiers to follow him-

"We got 'im!"

Without warning, one of them ran at Ermac, who was a bit too close, and confused, and tackled him to the ground. The other two went to straddle him, when he was already on the ground being nearly crushed by someone twice, maybe three times, his weight. Reptile ran forward to push the man off. "Get off of him! What are you all doing?"

The pushed guard stood up, gripping Ermac's arm tightly. "Kotal sent us with you in case if he got rowdy." Ermac looked directly at Reptile, emerald eyes flashing a look of _hate_ , pure _hate,_ and acrimony. He started shaking violently to get off the large man's vice-like grip. Another guard held at Ermac's other arm that was trying to pry off the opposer. Reptile nearly flinched.

Ermac was struggling to get off their grip. Unable to use his telekinetic powers, he was now helplessly trying to kick at the guards, in which the last one held both of his legs, pulled out a pair of cuffs, and cuffed his _feet_. He looked at Reptile, who was still looking as if he had no idea what was going on.

Which unfortunately, he didn't. Reptile looked at one of the guards who cuffed him, then back at Ermac, who was now being _dragged_ by the arms towards the direction of the Kahn's Palace. Instantly, the memories of watching his relatives, the Zaterran civilization, chained and dragged on the rich bloody soil by their feet, just to make them look demoralized. His fists clenched. "Why did you do that?" He stepped forward. "Take him off of thosse chainss!"

What the guard said in response threw Reptile back a mile. "The Kahn told us to take these if he needed them."

He just stood there, the guards were now walking, and Ermac was looking down at the ground, facing away from Reptile. In case if he _needed_ them? What did Kotal think of Ermac to make him _do_ this? He reluctantly continued to walk forward, hopefully he will get a say in this; hopefully this wouldn't get any worse-

How could it not? Ermac, and let it be rephrased, _Ermac_ , is being chained by Kotal's guards by his _feet_. Reptile stayed behind the guards, in case if they did anything funny, and because he was more than afraid to see Ermac's expression. He couldn't do anything in this situation, and watching it was near unbearable.

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Erron walked outside from the main entrance, and he saw figures in the distance. There were three people walking and a green figure in the back, and they were dragging something, or rather someone…

 _Is that Ermac_?

Erron looked behind him, and ran towards the few, who were in the distance making their way to where he was. One of the guards who gripped Ermac yelled out behind Erron, and he could hear the distant shuffling of many boots. He caught up, and Reptile was behind them, looking so deep in his thoughts, as well as the guards with their heads fixed straight at the Palace. He was asking _so many questions_ in his head, until he looked at Ermac, who looked up at him.

It takes a lot to make Erron visibly flinch, or even show the slightest bit of apprehension, but when he saw Ermac's face, and his eyes, he had to step back. _Twice_. The construct's eyes swirled venomously, and he was trying to quell his seething. His hands were balled into fists, and his lips were pursed to a thin line. It had only been less than a second of seeing that, and Erron felt like he needed to turn away.

He noticed that his feet were chained, and raised his eyebrows. He turned to Reptile, who slowly looked up at him with the same amount of confusion as he. The guards made their way into the Palace, which now was orderly, and Kotal was nowhere in sight, probably in his throne room already. Erron blinked a few times at Reptile. "Why did you bring three guards with you?"

"I… I didn't…" Reptile shook his head slowly, looking down, then looking back up at Erron. "They just came… And they put him in chains." The Zaterran looked away from him, and with a slight shake of his head whilst looking mortified, he approached the Palace. Erron followed suit, _still_ confused at their purpose.

Once inside of the Palace, Ermac didn't dare look up at anyone else. He didn't, and refused to, struggle in the tight restraint of the chains and the guards' grip. His souls started to wreak havoc again, and he closed his eyes to try and prepare himself for the onslaught that he physically couldn't alleviate. But they didn't, there were hushed, but sharp voices in his head, the words clear and their meanings collective. He was chained by his feet, having been tackled down by huge guards, and being dragged to the Palace. The guards watched them, all standing by the walls doing nothing, as they made their way to the Kahn's room, and _up the stairs._

This was probably the most humiliation he's ever felt in his life.

When they got to the stairs, Reptile spoke up again. "Guardss," his voice was corrosive, "I'm pretty ssure he can walk. Take the chainss off of him."

"Kotal told us to use them-"

"Take the chainsss _off_. _Now."_ Erron looked to his side. Reptile was visibly angry, and the guards looked at each other.

"Either do it," he stepped up, "or I'll deal with you all myssself."

"And me." Erron took one step forward, side by side to Reptile. "You best take them off."

The guards didn't hesitate anymore, and one of them proceeded to remove the chains from Ermac's feet, who was surprisingly, and terrifyingly, quiet the entire interaction. Once they were off, Ermac's knees made their way to plant on the ground, and he slowly stood, the guards still holding him. He didn't turn to face Erron and Reptile, snatching his arms from the guards, and walking upstairs by himself. The guards followed immediately, and Reptile pulled one of them back. "You tell your men to keep your handss off of Ermac." With that, he shoved him forward and walked in front of Erron. The guard told the others just as what Reptile ordered, as Ermac continued up the stairs in silence. His fists were balled, and his anger was radiating off of his slender body.

When he reached the top floor, Ermac turned to the direction of the large throne room, passing through an intersection in the hall. He looked around the intersection, and once he turned his head to the left, he stopped. There was his room, _wide_ open for everyone to see, the door was on the floor, splinters against where a guard kicked it loose. Reptile walked forward, remembering the incident, and he stood close to Ermac. The construct's lips were parted, he looked at the room with a frown, and he noticeably _shook._ He pursed his lips again, and walked much faster towards the Kahn's room.

_**...If he wants us, we will** _ **go** _**to him…** _


	11. Chapter 11

Without knocking, he opened the doors and left little room for the guards, Reptile and Erron to get in, who'd have to open the door more themselves. He looked forward, and Kotal sat, leaning back when he noticed him. Ermac's breathing was steady, and heavy, both his fists clenching when he heard Reptile and Erron walk into the room. Kotal Kahn crossed his legs as he sat, looking at the others who have also walked into the room. He locked eyes with Ermac. "Explain yourself."

Ermac took a long, deep breath. He tried hard not to seethe again. "We were wandering out of the Palace." Which is the truth, in fact. "We wanted some time alone in places other than our room-"

A small chuckle erupted from the Emperor, and Ermac blinked at his sudden amusement. Kotal exhaled after his chuckling, and uncrossed his legs. "You've been along for quite long enough."

Ermac frowned, lips still parted, and Kotal now uncrossed his fingers. "Now, tell me," he placed his hands on the armrests, "What _really_ happened two months ago?"

 _And what does this have to do with us being dragged here,_ _ **literally?**_ "Is that why you sent Reptile and three other guards to escort us in brute force?" Those words came out of his mouth like water. And it ran much better than what he was _supposed_ to say. "We know how to return. You didn't need reinforcements to bring _us_ back _here_." His hands were by his sides, but he pointed at himself and at the ground as he spoke. "What was the point of trailing us like that, as though we have no legs to stand on?" It was so hard, so _damn hard_ , to not raise his voice right now, because the last ten or so minutes before were enough to shun him for a week.

"You've been acting like this ever since." Kotal stood, his feet planted on the ground. "Who did you fight before?"

Erron's mask covered his surprised, parted lips. Kotal _suspected_ him beforehand... He looked down to Reptile hands, which were clenched so hard that if he were human, his knuckles would probably be white. His face remained unreadable.

"We fought an enemy. We told you that already."

"You did. But _who_?" Kotal took a couple steps forward. "It wasn't some random enemy, you came with wounds, did you not? Your bandages were hanging off of your face, and you have been much more disorderly ever since."

"Maybe if you take a look at our _room_ , since you have so reasonably _knocked_ at our door, you see that we haven't been in entropy-"

"ANSWER MY QUESTION!"

Kotal's loud voice boomed in the closed space of his grand room. Erron and Reptile, as well the present guards, cringed at the loudness, while Ermac's eye twitched. The construct didn't falter, as Kotal took a few more steps towards him. "Did you fight a certain sorcerer?"

 _ **He nearly answered the question for us just now**_. Ermac tried not to visibly shake his head. He decided to admit it. "We did." An involuntary twitch ran up his cheek. "Now why break our door down and drag us, because of what we did not even recently?"

"You do not ask the questions here." Kotal seethed, his fists clenched and unclenched. "You fought Shang Tsung, and you were _defeated._ "

Ermac's eyes twitched again. There were _guards and two of the rangers_ here. Why couldn't Kotal do this _in private_?

 _ **Because dragging you against the dirt floor, and making everyone watch you carried as luggage is not good enough of a story to tell, is it?**_ He started to mumble out his response.

"Louder. I cannot hear you."

"We did fight Shang Tsung...and… we did lose…" his voice strained at the word _lose_ ; by the gods, he hated that word so much, but it always kept finding it's way to him regardless.

"And you seclude yourself from the others and me, because you lost a fight with a sorcerer?"

 _Why did he have to belittle_ _ **us**_ _?_ "We didn't act like that-"

"Yes you did-"

" _Let us finish."_ He growled, his voice was shaky with anger akin to his fists as he leaned forward. At this point, he knew he was ready to take whatever Kotal would throw at him, because now he was completely done with all of this. "He took some of our souls." **How about more than a few** _ **thousand?**_ "We were _weakened_ , and unconscious." He didn't _dare_ tell him about Shao Kahn's demeaning spirit being out of him, it was a good thing that no one here, save for _maybe_ Reptile, knew about that tidbit of information. If he wanted the truth, there it was.

"And you kept that from us for what reason?" Another few steps, at this point he was a few meters away from Ermac. "You didn't tell the truth this entire time, and now my army comes back, three quarters of them gone. Four of my own guards have betrayed my militia because of you and your reticence."

That's not… them being taken isn't _his_ fault. It's them who decided to convert, not him. He then realized that Shang Tsung probably coerced them to, making them his slaves. That could be justified, and perhaps Kotal thought the same thing. He was now a few feet away from Ermac, towering over the construct. "My people will be put in harm just because of your selfishness."

That's when the souls _collectively_ quieted down in his head. That's when the sharp murmurs were much too clear in offense to the Emperor's horridly _contradicting_ statement. Ermac took a step back, and looked at Kotal up and down, and had to take a deep breath to calm himself down before he spoke.

"Your _people_ ," Ermac raised a brow, "Are already in harm, by the same justice system _you_ said would keep them at peace." Kotal's eyes widened, obviously offended, but Ermac spoke before he can say another word.

"If you can get off your throne to come and desecrate us now, then you can do the same to take a look at Z'unkahrah yourself, you would _see_ more than several people incarcerated per block. As we spoke before, they would be tackled and squandered and injured, when they were never resisting any of _your_ military's bombardment into their homes, and threatening their very existence. You would see those same innocent people being pulled from their homes just for having different viewpoints than you do. You imprison them for expressing themselves in a free state, which is what _you_ said Outworld was _supposed_ to be. Your guards would stomp the streets with weapons unnecessarily, and your _people_ are afraid to leave their houses. Have you not taken a look at _that_ first? You bind the public by _fear_ , not by peace, not by reunion, and you said that you would not make this realm a police state. As unstable as it is already, you wish to quell the thoughts and suggestions of others simply because you want to keep yourself in a superiority complex, you think of those around you as less than because _you're_ the Emperor." His fists unclenched, and he crossed his arms. "Your people are already in fear of their lives under your militarized rule, because of _your_ selfish attempts to retain respect."

The whole entire room was deathly silent after he spoke. Guards had their jaw dropped, and Erron and Reptile were _both_ incredulous. Kotal, one the other hand, had an unreadable expression on his face. His eyes just stayed on Ermac, and he told himself to stay put. His hands weren't fists anymore, he wouldn't show aggravation at the construct's words, and Ermac knew that. Kotal looked up and down at Ermac in a way that made the construct want to punch him. "What will that entire monologue of yours do for you?" Ermac stood his ground. "Since you see that restoring order is a bad thing."

"It isn't. But you clearly aren't."

Kotal blinked slowly. " _What?"_

Reptile looked between Ermac and Kotal, hesitant and worried. Why is Ermac saying all of this? Does he not realize what he's doing?

"We _said,_ " Ermac stood straight, uncrossed his arms, and put them behind his back unconventionally. "You are not _restoring_ order. What you're doing isn't creating peace, it is going to send us twenty years back." The souls were a bit quieter this time, and even though his jaw felt like it was going to fall off, he still continued talking. "From the _slaves_ , to the public who more _fear_ you than love you, if you do not be careful, you'll end up like the same ruler you vowed not to be." Was that a little too far? Maybe, but it wasn't a lie. It would be true if this kept going, and history will repeat itself once more. He knew that Kotal would finally be visibly irritated from him implying Shao Kahn's oligarchy. His glowing yellow eye twitched, as his hands tensed, and Ermac knew he somehow got through to him. "We do not wish to fight you. But we are trying to get you to understand that this will not be for the greater good in the long run." Kotal's expression was still holding off as offense. "So if you are done with this _interrogation_ , then send us off."

A pause.

"Very well." Kotal turned around, and walked towards his throne, which surprised Ermac, but he didn't show it. Erron raised both of his brows, and Reptile loosened his fists. A foreboding feeling came over the lizard, as Kotal waved his hand dismissively and spoke once again. "Guards."

The already stunned men that stood by Erron and Reptile, blinked and looked at Kotal, and then back at Ermac walking towards him. One got there first, grabbing Ermac's arm, who shoved him off immediately. The other decided to grab both arms of the already weakened construct, and Ermac struggled to get off his hold. "Let go of us- What are you-"

" _Send him off._ "

Ermac's turbulent green eyes went to the back-facing Kahn, and then looked at the guards beside him. He pulled himself down, and got on his legs, and without warning, flipped over, and pulled at their arms, so that their heads collided, and their arms dislocated. With them on the floor, Ermac looked towards the last one, who was now about ready tackle him just a few paces away. He raised his hand out of reflex, and sent him flying, slamming his head against the wall next to Reptile and Erron. Ermac refrained from holding his head in his hands, blinking rapidly and groaning to rid of the gradual ache in his temples. He started to breathe faster, and he squinted while his head throbbed painfully. Kotal raised his eyebrows, and Ermac looked back at him, vice laced his eyes.

"We will not allow you to condemn us for something we… we couldn't help." He stood straight again, stepping back from the shocked Kotal. "We haven't done anything wrong!" He raised his voice against the emperor. The rangers flinched, they have never heard him yell before. "Our place is in Outworld, _you_ will not wrest us from our domain!" He's now full on yelling.

Kotal frowned, obviously disrespected. "What makes you think I can't?"

Ermac seethed, his voice suddenly had an unfamiliar venom laced in it. "Because you _won't._ " And with that he turned around to walk away. Kotal orders the guards and Erron and Reptile to get him. Reluctantly, the three followed through with the order. In all of his frustration, Ermac releases a unsteady blast to everyone in the room, the guards flew back several feet, including Erron and Reptile who were pushed against the wall, and Kotal being blown back a couple of feet. As he walked, he held his head, and struggled to keep his gait straightforward. Reptile was the first to step forward and speak, trying to catch up to the construct.

"Ermac…"

A feral growl came from him, and he raised his hand to telekinetically throw Reptile across the room. " **LEAVE US ALONE!** " His fingers stumbled against the knob, his head was throbbing and his vision blurred. He opened and slammed the door closed, and quickly made his way out of the halls, unintentionally stopping to look at his room. It made him angrier, and he started to flare with unstable, green energy. He continued his way until he was out of the Palace.

Reaching the end of the city, then to a forest, he refused to think until now. He collapsed against the dirt, holding his head as he tried desperately to quell his irregular breathing. He couldn't stay so close to Kotal and the others now, he'll be captured and killed. His hands were now against the ground, forming into fists and clawing into the dirt. He was wanted, he was _wanted_.

He raised his fists slammed them into the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is actually shorter than the last, but I promise Chapter 12 will be out soon, so you'll have more to read!
> 
> And also, we're going to get another character up in here in the next chapter doeeee!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I did say this chapter would come by pretty fast. Please do not castigate me for Kano’s diction, because I can’t write in his accent very well xD. Enjoy the fic!

“What ye’ gonna do with ‘him?”

Shang Tsung turned around from the stone table, in which a dead soldier was lying on, to face his main enforcer. He looked down and smiled in regards to his question.

“What I always do, Kano.”

He raised a hand, and soon conjured up an orb of green energy. The dead soldier slowly lifted up from the table, as if he were floating, and with a blinding zap around his body, fell back down on the stone table. Shang looked at a green gem on his free hand, and held it above his hands. Kano watched inadvertently. The green aura went straight into the gem, making it pulse lightly. He then placed his hand holding the gem against the soldier’s chest, and the dead soldier seem to take a large inhale, his chest rising rapidly. He then exhaled, and sank back onto the table.

“So...y’mind tellin’ me what ya just did?”

Shang Tsung let go of the soldier’s chest, and looked at Kano. “I placed his soul back.” He turned back to the soldier, and down at the talisman pendant he wore. “He will know nothing more than to fight for me only. Any other memory the soul encompasses will be repressed.”

“Ahhh…” Kano nodded, still sort of not getting it. “So he’s a drone? Where does ‘is soul go?”

“It stays until he dies.” The sorcerer walked away from the table, and eyed the larger stone talisman in the middle of the room. It levitated above a small swirling pool, radiating with green energy. The souls within it moved and whirled erratically, this is the little bit of impunity they have until they are shut down for use. “These soldiers’ sole purpose is to fight, he is not allowed to think of anything else other than that. So yes, essentially they are drones.” He crossed his arms and looked down from the talisman. “I have more than a few thousand souls in this large stone, thanks to Ermac, and a couple thousand that my soldiers have killed collectively.” He turned to Kano, who looked like he wanted to ask something. “Soon, you can exact destruction on Outworld and Earthrealm, Kano.” The sorcerer smirked. “ _ Patience _ .”

“I _ know _ ‘at.” He cracked his knuckles thinking about the training sessions he’s whipped up for his son, who if he were a normal kid, should be doing his  _ homework.  _ “We’ll ‘ave a new recruit in no time.” Shang Tsung nodded knowingly, and then Kano raised his hands. “If my son dares to try anything more, you may take  _ care _ of him.”

“Hmmph...” the sorcerer’s chuckle seemed to surround the room, “No problem.”

Kano nodded. If his son failed to follow his rules, then that’s his problem, not Kano’s. If anything, he’ll have to beat his head in to get his thick skull to obey. Another thought came to the mercenary, he looked back to Shang Tsung, who was looking at the surroundings of Outworld through a spy’s eye. Perhaps he can use a somewhat similar tactic that Shang Tsung has, on his own son. “Wait, what’d y’do with ya dead soldiers, though?” Shang Tsung turned around, a sinister smirk on his face.

“I put the souls back in.”

 

ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ

 

He sighed, sitting against a huge tree propping his elbow against his knee. It’s been about six days, if Ermac could count properly anymore, since he’s been in the Palace. He was far away from that vicinity, in order to keep himself from getting tangled with Kotal’s soldiers. And so far...he’s been nearly successful at it.

_ Nearly. _

There hasn’t been a day where Ermac  _ wasn’t _ attacked, and had to fight against more than one soldier. There were instances where he would actually fight, and instances where he’d have to run because he was spiritually unstable. And the second happened the most. That posed two problem for him however; given he ran away from the opposers, now he has more of Kotal’s liege after him, due to them being alive. And even with the martial arts experience that he indirectly obtained, he can’t fight if his head felt like it was going to explode. Not only that, but he has to watch out for Shang Tsung  _ too _ , and everywhere he stepped in a forest, or woods, were like boobytraps laid out only for him.

Maybe it was his ever growing paranoia, maybe he would expect to be pulled by a rope when he isn’t paying the most attention. Either way, him sitting against this tree was the  _ only _ bit of rest he’s had since then.

Not even a dozen minutes ago, he had to dispatch two guards who shot arrows at him, that nearly whizzed past his forehead. Sure, Kotal’s army was well trained, but did he really think Ermac was  _ that  _ weak? Did he really belittle him like this? Did he think he’d be caught that easily? He shook his head; pittance to the ruler himself, then.

Or maybe a pittance to himself, instead. Maybe he was foolish for running away from the Palace, when he lives to serve the right bringers of Outworld. Maybe he shouldn't have said anything then, or maybe he should have told the Emperor about Shang Tsung when he first returned.

**_And die two months earlier than now?_ **

These souls confused him. Didn't they  _ want _ salvation? So why are they angry at him for thinking such a thing? 

**_You've came this far…_ **

Why have they been...  _ nicer _ to him, if that was even it? He hasn't suffered from their words. But other than that, they didn't bother him. Did he get used to it? Did he adapt to them being scornful, or were they actually changing their judgement of him? The only time he'd feel pain were the times he’d reflexively kept hurting himself by using his unstable telekinesis. He looked down at the floor; his own  _ power _ was damaging him now.

No, no, maybe it wasn't. His spiritual energy was simply wrested from him. He can't do what he did before, and yet he keeps doing these psychic abilities that were easy once upon a time. He'll have to resort to brute force then. 

But what  _ can _ he do, trying to  _ physically _ hit someone? His body, despite no longer feeling like malleable gold, still ached everywhere. If anyone touched him, he’d whip his head around and try to get away from the contact. If anyone  _ hit _ him, he'd probably groan in pain, and recoil for a really long time, especially on his chest.

He'd probably scream in agony if someone hit him on his chest.

He still felt helpless. Hopeless. He probably couldn't even  _ fight _ anymore, and that's what he's most good at. Even with him slowly, very  _ slowly _ , getting better, he knew he couldn't go on any longer if his body was subjected to move and take hits like this.  **_We will give it fifteen days._ **

It's been six days now. Perhaps the longest six days he's ever experienced in his life. He'll probably be done before the end of this month.  _ Completely _ .  _ Killed. No longer living. _

**_Like we were living in the first place. We only exist. To serve. It is our nature._ **

He longer served.

He shook his head, he even failed at his _sole_ _purpose._

 

ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ

 

Reptile sat in the confines of his room, against the window, and he didn't plan on leaving ever since. The dreams became more prevalent, and it kept bringing him back to the past, back to twenty years ago, when Shao Kahn ruled Outworld. The screaming, and the falling, separated walls would flash through his mind’s eye, and then he'd be in the middle of a fiery pit, watching the soldiers rally up against each other. Some of them dressed the same, and fought each other, and some of them didn't. And there was always a silhouette of an unknown being over everyone else, watching the destruction with an unreadable expression on his face.

These dreams made no sense at first, and they continued to seem fragmented, and haphazard all at once. He couldn't tell what it was about them, but every day he'd wake up, and forget about them a few minutes after waking up. Then, the next day, the dream the day before would come up along with the one he would have that day. And it kept happening whenever he had dreamt of something.

It sounded crazy… but Reptile wasn't new to violent dreams, either.

Was it a sign? Was it just pieces to a puzzle? Who was that person looking down upon them? Was it Shang Tsung? Were they going to enter a war akin to his dream, where everyone is fighting everyone? He leaned his head against the cobblestone wall, slitted eyes looking up at the quartz colored moon. That technically  _ is _ going to happen, since some of Kotal’s army was taken by Shang Tsung. They were going to enter a new war, whether they like it or not, and Reptile knew it.

He stood from the window, and went back to his bed. Why did the Kahn administer guards to tackle Ermac like that? Sure, he thought he was suspicious, but what  _ would _ Ermac for such a thing? Run away?

_ Right. _

He wondered how he was doing right now, because Kotal’s rangers have seemingly been out of place ever since. Ermac was probably running from Kotal’s force as he thought about this. Why did Kotal want him dead? Does he not realize that there is a much bigger threat than-

No, he does. He’d probably think that Ermac would join Shang Tsung, and sell them out, which made Reptile shake his head. If Ermac was attacked by him, he wouldn't be pretty enough to join the sorcerer. He knows Shang Tsung is out there with his couple hundred soldiers, and they are simply getting distracted from that. Whatever it takes, he'll have to get the Kahn’s attention towards Shang Tsung. He needed to get Kotal’s mind off of the construct.

He didn't want Ermac to die, and this would prove to be difficult because he wasn't good with words.  _ At all _ .

 

ΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩΩ

 

“GET UP!”

The adolescent boy scrambled to his feet, his hands worn, and bruised from the training that he'd have to endure. He shifted to his side, and instantly winced from the pain on his abdomen. His mentor and father, Kano, shook him and picked him up by the collar.

“Do you really think y’can fight like such a wuss, eh?” Kano shook the man again, and he shook his head, petrified. “Let me tell ya somethin’, Ethan.” Kano stared down his son, now holding his collar tightly with both hands. “If you wanna be recruited, you better toughen up, you twat! Take a hit from your old man, will ya?” With that, he punched Ethan right in the cheek, sending him back to the floor. Ethan shook his head to ward off his soon to come daze, and vaguely, nausea.

Ever since his mother died, he was brought to Kano’s house, under the care of his father. He shouldn't even say  _ care _ . Ethan had been spending most of his days for the past four months in Kano’s large basement, where Kano would train him. And now that his father got the new job with some dude, he's been much too hard on him. There is not a day where Ethan would walk  _ without  _ wincing every step. He felt a kick on his side, knocking him from his thoughts, and back into harsh reality.

“When I say get up, you get the fuck back up, y’hear? GET UP NOW!” 

Ethan stumbled to his feet, and once he stood, he struggled to catch his breath. “D-dad…” he accidentally spoke.

“ _ What?” _

Kano slapped him across the face, and Ethan stumbled backwards. “Fuck did y’call me?”

“I-I mean… K-Kano-” Ethan regained his posture. 

“That’s right.” Kano interrupted him, taking a step forwards, and watching, amused, at how Ethan flinched at the simple action. “Can’t have y’calling me  _ dad _ , since you fail to be  _ a _ son.”

Ethan looked down at the ground. How many times has he told him this? He knew he was a failure, but this simply wasn’t the lifestyle he wanted. He didn’t want to be a mercenary, let alone fight others. And it wasn’t just because he was scared… His mother was always a peaceful woman, completely opposite of Kano. She would’ve never let him be in this place if she were still alive, and if she knew about his little ‘agreement’. Which Ethan never agreed to anyway.

“Y’call me Kano, that’s all you’ll ever call me, y’hear me?” He nodded, and Kano make a displeased groan, and with that, he slapped Ethan again, snapping Ethan out of his thoughts completely, and walked away. Ethan slowly rose up, trying to recover his sight from the hard slap. Their session was over, apparently, which he didn’t know if it were a good thing or not. He walked out of the dark room, and trudged up the stairs. He passed the kitchen; he wasn’t hungry anymore. Kano damn near knocked the hunger out of him for the past few hours.

He plopped onto his bed, and instantly regretted it because his muscles ached from the soft contact. Ethan held at the pillows, and opened his eyes to look at his many portraits that hung on the wall. His room had blue-purple-to-indigo gradient walls, and the wall that was on the opposite side of the bed had a painted cherry tree going from the corner to the end of the wall. The carpet was black, and the ceiling was a dark violet color with small white, yellow, and blue splatters against it, almost resembling outer space. His drawers were aged wood, which had his clothes in it, and he had a separate, smaller drawer where all his sketchbooks are. His pens, brushes, charcoal and markers were either stashed in a mug, or situated on DIY tube wall cabinets. He looked to his utensil stash, wanting to draw, but not having the energy to. His arms ached, and his legs felt like lead. Or uranium. 

Whichever is heavier, he really couldn’t think right now. 

His head felt like a muddled mess. Ethan sighed, their training ended much more abruptly than usual, and Kano looked like he was going to beat him into a pulp today. His hands slapped softly on his face as he groaned.  _ Why me... _


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was a really, really long hiatus here. I am back, and this story is to be updated accordingly :).

“Kotal, I’ve found a few cargosss going to the Kuatan Jungle.” Reptile walked in after knocking three times, and Kotal leaned forward when he heard the newfound information. “It may be Sshang Tssung’s army transsporting itemsss.” Kotal nodded, and Reptile spoke up again.

“Sshould we ready our armymen?”

“Yes.” Kotal stood up. “Bring Erron with us.” He walked past the small lizard, who nodded in return, and walked out to get the others.

Erron, Reptile, and Kotal sat in a large room, with a mahogany table in the midst of the room. This was their area where meetings are held, when they needed to prepare for a battle or for any important event. The walls had large embossed frames, as of representing framed artwork, along with intricate designs outlining the walls. 

Reptile bounced his leg up and down underneath the table. Kotal circled the table, in thought, and then once he reached his seat, he stood behind it. “We will go in, and we will take down Shang Tsung’s army. As well as that construct too.”

Reptile inwardly flinched at the way he spoke of Ermac. Did he really think that Ermac would  _ join _ Shang Tsung just because Kotal was an unfit ruler to him? He spoke up. “Ko’atal,” his leg bouncing lessened. “I didn't find Ermac with thossse men at all. He wasssn't near Shang Tssung’s vicinity. And our sssoldiers will get hurt, if not killed, by Ssshang Tssung’s men if we do not bring them back.” His leg stopped bouncing. “We ssshould gather all of our army and head back there in full force.”

Kotal raised his eyebrows, looking down at Reptile and considering his plan. He sat down in his seat, and Erron look between the two, chiming in with the Zaterran. “I think we should. We have more than enough men to take them down.” Reptile looked at Erron, and nodded back to the Kahn. 

“Though, I couldn't get into Sshang Tsssung Island. His temple isss already heavily guarded.” Reptile placed his folded hands on the table. “If we went in there and got rid of them, it could lesssen our chances of being in more harm than if we didn't.”

Erron continued. “We've fought these guys already. We know that they aren't to be trifled with.”

Kotal looked between the two, who were both determined with this idea of theirs. He glanced down at the table, and then nodded. “We will gather the rest of my soldiers, and we will head to Kuatan Jungle. “

Reptile and Erron nodded. “You two are dismissed.” The silence between them feel odd, out of place, and Reptile knew that Kotal was aware of it by the way he slowly slumped back into his chair. Reptile walked out first, followed by Erron, who was adjusting his hat. Once they hit a corner, Reptile turned to him. 

“Why did you-”

“I don't want Ermac to die too, okay.”

He raised his scaled brows. He looked to his sides, and behind him. They were completely alone. “You think it'll work?”

“It should.” Erron crossed his arms, and gave him a knowing look. “Kotal doesn't take opposition lightly.”

“ _ Noted. _ ” Reptile nodded, and made his way straight down the hall. “I will go and call in our soldiersss.” Erron nodded slowly. He looked down at the ground, and turned to the left of the hall.  _ It should. _

Hours later, the liege were in the verdant confines of the Jungle. The archers were crouching against the side of the hills, unseen by the other army that was now marching forward. The trees on the hills were enough to cloak Kotal’s army from the enemies. Shang Tsung’s army didn't have cavalry, so this would be relatively easy considering the amount of soldiers with them right now.

Around three hundred men, half posted on one hill and half on the other, Reptile being on one side, and Erron on the other. Both are armed with fifty archers, and one hundred foot soldiers, along with fifty armed cavalry. The soldiers below them didn't even amount close to one hundred; they would win with ease. They only merely looked forward, not even watching their surroundings. The Zaterran smirked, he raised a finger, and a small shuffling was heard from the archers beside him, loading their bows. The other side did the same. With a snap of his fingers, unacknowledged by the opposition, he threw his hands down, and seconds later, arrows flew downwards at the unsuspecting soldiers. With a battle cry, the swordsmen, axemen, and cavalry came charging down the hills and straight into the battlefield.  _ They have no chance _ .

Reptile was in the midst of fighting off a soldier, punching him straight in the face, and slicing his chest. With his claw still outstretched, he retracted  _ just _ before a blade came down, in an attempt to cut his fingers off. He looked to his hand, and then back at the perpetrator, who happened to be…

“Koren?!”

The former spy didn't waver in his sight. “ _ Koren is dead _ .”

Instead he raised his blade again, and came down at Reptile, who moved to the left before it could hit him. When he did, Koren shifted on his feet, and went towards him rapidly. Reptile could only dodge his close-cutting blade, and once he raised his arms again, he pulled at the spy’s arm to slow him down. Koren stumbled, and Reptile turned around, and quickly raised his hand to hold Koren’s arm, the blade was only a few hairs away from his face. Reptile leaned back, and pushed at the man’s arm, an Koren tossed his blade in the air to catch it with the other hand, and swing at Reptile from the side, the blade now too close to the Zaterran’s eye. Reptile growled, and pulled his face back, and shoved Koren’s arm to the side, who punched him in return. Reptile’s head looked back, and he stumbled backwards, holding his cheek, blood coming from his mouth.  _ Since when wass he that sstrong? _

Koren came down at him with the blade, and Reptile didn't have enough to time to dodge. Before it sink into his head, a bullet came right at Koren’s arm, just before Reptile’s face. Blood splattered all over the Zaterran, and Koren didn't even recoil from the shot. Erron came at him, and kicked him on his side, and he pulled out his shotgun. Koren came back, running at him at an ungodly speed, but Erron pulled the trigger just in time to have his chest split open. Koren fell to the ground twitching.

Erron looked to Reptile, who was getting up, and grabbed him by the arm to help. Once he was up, he looked at Erron and at the dead man before them. Erron didn't recognize him at first, but it was indeed Koren himself.

“What the  _ hell _ is going on here?” 

Kotal’s army was winning by a longshot. Erron, Reptile, and FerraTorr were smashing down enemies with ease. Of the three hundred men, only about 25 were dead, and nearly all of Shang’s army were gone. Just when there were only a dozen soldiers left, a large explosion came from the side of the hill, which made everyone turn their heads. Out came none other than Kano, along with another hundred soldiers running forward. Reptile looked towards Erron, and he ran at Kano full speed. The Zaterran put his hand against the floor, and swung his feet towards Kano’s legs, and Kano jumped, nearly getting caught in Reptile’s attempt to trip him. The mercenary twisted on his foot, and brandished a knife as he did so, going down on Reptile. He grabbed his arm, and kicked Kano down to the ground. Kano flipped right back on his feet, and came at Reptile again. He threw a few hits to his face, and then caught him with a right jab.

“‘Aven’t seen ‘ya in a long time, frog face.” Reptile turned around after he regained his balance.

“Iss that the bessst you can come up with?” He narrowed his eyes, and Kano rushed at him, pulling and flipping two blades from his back. Reptile smirked, as Kano went to slice him, he jumped into the air. Kano blinked, and looked upward, Reptile wasn’t in the air anymore. He looked around and behind him, and then whipped to the left, seeing a silhouette off the corner of his eye. Reptile reappeared from his invincibility, his fist making harsh contact with Kano’s face. Kano fell to the floor, shaking his head to ward off the dizziness, and got back up on his knees again.

Meanwhile, Erron’s shotgun bullets pierced through the head of another soldier. He turned around and looked all over him, there army was slowly being on par with Shang’s. Or is it the other way around?

What he saw, to his confusion, was some of the soldiers,  _ their _ soldiers, fighting against each other. As well as them dying, and the corpses that lie on the ground were mostly familiar faces and armors. He looked all around him; there was barely anyone he  _ didn’t _ recognize. Whatever Shang Tsung was doing, or how he was doing it, made him very uneasy, because not only did he turn them against Kotal, but he made sure they looked  _ exactly the same _ as the actual men fighting for him. So in the end, who was winning?

Who was  _ losing _ ? 

Did anyone else catch this, how dangerous this entire thing was? If anything, Erron could be punched in the face right now by the same guy who was walking right beside him minutes ago-

His thought were interrupted by a punch to his face. He fell on his butt, and blinked.  _ Spoke too soon _ . Looking up, he noticed the beige skull mask first, as well as the brown, feral eyes.  _ Way too damn soon _ . He pulled his shotgun from the floor, and smacked the guy across the face. He stood on his feet, and cocked the shotty once more, the soldier bouncing right back up and running at him. Erron pulled the trigger, and the man’s brains went flying everywhere, blood splattering the moist ground. He slowly lowered his gun.

“How reckless of you to even go against your own army men, Erron?”

Once again, he decides to step in. Once again,  _ he’s _ the only one who Erron has faced when no one else did. The gunslinger turned on his heel, and faced Shang Tsung with enmity. “You mean yours?” He gripped his shotgun tighter. “You just have a habit of stealing, don’t you?”

“No, they’re yours, aren’t they? He looks exactly like Kotal’s army.” Shang Tsung’s teasing voice made Erron’s eye twitch. “Maybe you just aimed at the wrong man.”

_ Aimed at the wrong man… _ What did he think he was, a novice? He looked back at the dead soldier.  _ Was that necesa-  _ No.  _ He’s playing with your head, Erron _ . Shang Tsung made a loud chuckle, and threw several orbs at him. Erron jumped to the side, and the orb hit a tree behind him, making the tree fall backward. The sorcerer moved to his right, and flew at Erron. The gunslinger spun on his toes, and raised his leg to kick Shang in the shoulder. Shang Tsung recoiled from the hit, but was unfazed, he went to punch Erron, who held his arm, and he twisted himself around to elbow him in the cheek. Erron groaned, clutching his cheek, but raising his shotgun to shoot at him. The bullets flew through Shang Tsung, who fazed out of harm's way. Erron did a tiny gasp and whipped his head around the surrounding area. He turned back around when he heard a soft chuckle brush against his right ear.

“Come the fuck out, you coward!”

And he did. With a kick straight to Erron’s chest.

He felt backwards, and his hat fell.  _ Dammit _ , he couldn't breathe regularly now. His lungs felt like they were being punctured with every inhale. He propped himself up on his elbows, and then stood up from the ground. Shang Tsung stepped forward, and he cracked his hands. He lunged at Erron, sending several hits to his chest, which Erron was able to block for the most part, until an open palm hit him in the middle of the his ribcage. Erron fell back a few feet, both in pain, and a bit amazed. Has he always been  _ this _ difficult? Shang Tsung planted his feet against the ground, and raised both of his hands. At first, nothing happened, which Erron was confused for, and narrowed his eyes at the sorcerer. Then Shang Tsung smiled, and two large boulders of dirt were lifted from the ground. Erron scrambled to his feet, and rolled over to the left when Shang Tsung threw one of them at him. The second one came at Erron, and he didn't have enough time to dodge it. The gunslinger blinked only  _ once _ , and the large dirt ball disappeared. He looked ahead, Shang Tsung wasn't there anymore.  _ Why does he keep fucking around-  _ A large shadow came upon him, and he looked up, face to face with a large dirt ball. He looked back down and attempted to move, but the ball fell down on him, burying him in a relatively small dirt mountain. It wasn't that big but Erron was completely covered. 

Shang Tsung slowly floated around and the in front of the dirt pile that Erron was now housed in. He snickered. “You really think you can take me down like  _ this _ ? I remember when you were much more efficient, and now you're just slacking.”

Erron’s hand bursted from the dirt pile, and planted against the dirt to pull himself up. He exhaled when his head finally came up from the dirt, and pulled himself up until the waist down was covered, his other arm still in the dirt. He grimaced, but didn't take his words heavily. Shang Tsung turned around, crossing his arms. “Okay… I'll give you thirty seconds. Is that fair enough for you?”

He really wanted to kill the shit out of this guy. He's here belittling him like this? Erron smirked, and pulled out his other arm, which held his shotgun, and shot straight at Shang Tsung’s back. Shang Tsung was able to slow down the bullets, but wasn't able to fully stop them. The sorcerer fell forward, onto his hands and knees. He let out a cry, as he raised his arm, emitting a large blast that sent Erron flying backwards, his shotgun flying from his hand, and the dirt pile dispersed from him.

Erron landed harshly against the ground, the force reverberated from his spine, to his ribcage. He cried out, his chest felt like it was on fire, and his breathing was getting worse with every inhale. He got up on his elbows, looking at his enemy. Shang reached behind him, and with a bit of movement from his arm that Erron could see, he pulled out a bullet, and tossed it to the ground. He slowly approached the fallen gunslinger, a smile growing on his face. Erron scowled, and attempted to move his arms, only to find that they wouldn't move on his command. He tried his legs, but they didn't budge either.

_ Oh, fuck. _

He couldn't escape at all. And slowly, he could feel his physical energy leaving him. His limbs went numb, but stayed in place, and his head was get dizzy. He blinked several times; Shang Tsung was now right in front of him. He kneeled down, and tilted his head at Erron, before looking at his hand. A small pulse went through his fingers, and he then punched Erron on his temple. Erron’s sight wavered haphazardly, and then his vision went black.

An unnatural force governed the enemy soldiers. If they weren't dead, one had enough stamina to put three of Kotal’s soldiers into exhaustion. Since the reverse ambush that Kano pulled on them, Reptile had realized that the three hundred men they had were dwindling than that of the one hundred adversaries. So far, there were fifty, and they still proved to be a challenge. One hundred and fifty soldiers remained on side with the Kahn, including him, Erron, and FerraTorr.

Speaking of Erron, where was he? There Torr was, throwing a man up in the air, and Ferra jumping on top of him to slice the soldier in half, but he didn't see Erron anywhere in sight. He turned towards the sound of shuffling, amidst all the battle cries and clashing metal. Kano was getting up once more, he cracked his head, and rushed at Reptile with his left fist out. Reptile tossed away his arm, and Kano came at him with a hard right jab. Reptile fell to his side holding his cheek, and Kano flipped both of his knives, getting ready to throw them at the Zaterran.

“Leave him to me, Kano.”

Another voice, a  _ horribly  _ familiar voice, came from his right. He turned to the direction of the voice, and there he was; Shang Tsung, in the flesh, floating above the ground, flicking his eyes from Kano to him. Kano sheathed his knives, looked at Reptile with a smirk on his face, and ran away. Shang Tsung moved to float in Kano’s place.

“How nice,” Shang Tsung crossed his arms. “The  _ Emperor’s  _ pet.”

Reptile scowled, and ran at him, spitting acid to aim at his eyes. Shang Tsung simply tilted his head to the side to dodge, and when Reptile reached him with a fist, he held it. Reptile was stopped, but he attempted a sidekick, but Shang grabbed his leg and flipped him, sending him spinning to the floor. He snickered. “You have gotten much slower in only two decades. Perhaps your new ruler isn't feeding you enough…” He shook his head mockingly, and Reptile felt an anger bubble inside of him.

“Hiss name iss Ko’atal Kahn.” He seethed, his hands becoming clenched fists. “And he iss a far better ruler than you will ever hope to be!”

He shook his head again, “You've said the same thing about Shao Kahn, the same man who would rip your limbs off for your constant failure.”

Reptile paused. He wasn't  _ wrong _ , yes, he was loyal to Shao Kahn, and he did say that he was a great ruler back then, but that was because he had no choice. He hadn't a choice to say anything negative about him, and he hadn't a choice to leave when he wanted to. He had no choice back then, and now he had more than enough. He stood up. “You and I both know how fierce Shao Kahn was. Kotal Kahn has granted me the freedom to object.”

“But have you?”

Again, Reptile found himself unable to snap back. He's never went against Kotal, no matter what. Shang Tsung spoke again, “Tell me,” He leaned forward, “Was it he who told you this, or did you actually acknowledge it yourself?” 

Reptile looked down at the ground, and back at Shang Tsung. How  _ dare _ he question Kotal’s gratitude? Reptile knew that he was in a better place, and that Outworld was in a better state than it used to be. “Kotal hass done nothing to make me turn againsst him.”

Shang Tsung  _ hmmphed,  _ and then chuckled looking to his side, his head shaking again. Reptile’s slitted eye twitched; if there was anything he hated more than opposition, it was  _ pity _ . And he wasn't up for that, at  _ all. _ “Your loyalty is as weak as your attempts to fight me.” Shang Tsung teleported right in front of him, and grabbed his throat, strangling Reptile. Held in the air, Reptile instinctively clawed at Shang Tsung’s arm, and the sorcerer tossed him to the side. 

Regaining his breath, He blinked and looked up, seeing an energy blast zooming at him, and was into a mossy tree. The Zaterran groaned, and got back up, but when he did, Shang Tsung was face to face with him. In a mere second, He felt a hard impact against his stomach, causing blood to come out of his mouth. In his near daze, he kicked at Shang to get him away, which only made Shang step a few feet back. He looked down at his feeble attempt, and the sorcerer punched him in the face. Reptile slumped to the ground. He put his hand out, palm outstretched to Reptile, who was now unable to immediately fight back. Abruptly, an arrow hit him on his forearm. With a groan, he looked over at his struck hand and back at whoever shot that arrow. The archer ran towards him, along with several other defense liege, and Reptile looked up with anything broken smirk. Shang turned to address them, as the archer looked straight at Reptile and nodded his head towards the battle scene. He and the other swordsman clashed with Shang Tsung, and Reptile tried to get back up. He fell to his side again, unable to physically stand on his own. He felt a small hand against his shoulder trying to grab him, and then two bigger hands against his arms, and he was pulled up. He turned, and Ferra smiled. “Froggy need help?”

He chuckled, and turned to the outer scene, and then back at the eight men that were now fighting Shang Tsung concurrently. He motioned towards, and approached, the other soldiers on the field, who by the looks of it were easily dispatching the enemies. And by  _ another _ look, Reptile noticed that most of Shang Tsung’s army was retreating, and he even noticed unwounded soldiers lurking backwards within the dense trees and vines. His eyes widened,  _ How many of them were actually here?  _

The soldiers that tried to fight against the sorcerer ran back to Reptile and FerraTorr. Reptile turned to address them. One of the soldiers spoke up.

“We tried but… he disappeared before we could even lay a scratch on him-” the soldiers blinked and the one who spoke seemed to look past Reptile; and Reptile turned around. The place was  _ empty _ . It was as if no war had went on in this area, just completely desolate.

Well, if he didn't count the dead bodies on the floor.

That made his head perk up. “Where is Erron?” He looked around the bodies, and he saw no sign of the gunslinger,  _ luckily _ . A soldier came running at them, looking directly at Reptile. Ferra widened her eyes, and Torr made a low sound. Reptile’s fists clenched, and he growled so low that it was nearly inaudible.

In the soldier's hands, were Erron’s hat, and his shotgun.


End file.
